the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us, we  went on an outing to 
 the glass factory  that bore our  family 
 name. it had changed  owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood   abandoned   for  a  long  while. 
 finally,  the natural  end  station  for 
 the  buildings  that survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long  time  since  my family 
 made  anything.  by  many, we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there are  two main  factory  buildings, 
 domed things of  several floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large but narrow  windows, 
 reminescent    of     some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass,  of course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark  to be 
 practical.  on  the  eastern   building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is  publicly open. there's 
 a  museum, with wax figures of my  great 
 great  great grandfather,  or something. 
 various tools  (or replicas) laid out on 
 tables, with explaining texts.  a lot of 
 glass      of     varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak out, and  climb into the 
 other   building.   the   contrast    is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict   for  a  long  time,   windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all  over  the   floor.  no 
 electric lights,  but i can see  by  the 
 light that shines  in  wherever the dark 
 windows    are    missing     a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest difference  is the 
 higher floors: this building  has  none. 
 it is one massive  hall, stretching away 
 infinitely above  me. somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron latticework,  from 
 where  chains are suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there  is, in  the middle  of  the great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral   staircase  that 
 leads  up there. i sneak over there, and 
 take a  few reluctant steps. after  just 
 a  revolution,  i  notice  that for each 
 step  the building starts to  glow,  the 
 bricks turning  a  dark  red,  and  then 
 orange, all  the  piled  up debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i  stop ready  to run down  and out, but 
 there's someone  else  on the  staircase 
 with   me   now,  pressed   close.  he's 
 looking  like  me,  short hair  and thin 
 arms, but  with  ears from some  animal, 
 and more disturbingly,  completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me  in  place  while he 
 starts  operating levers and  dials  set 
 in  the center of the staircase. slowly, 
 it  starts  spinning, circling  upwards. 
 it's  an   elevator!  i   start  to  run 
 downwards,   but  now   the  liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs  hold  of  me.  i try to 
 shake him off, but he's  too strong, and 
 pulls    me   back    up   beside   him. 
                                          
 this time,  i  turn angry  instead. what 
 the hell?  who is this guy, acting  like 
 this? i reach out  my free arm  and slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal  bar   is 
 suddenly  released  between  us, hitting 
 him on  the  arm, forcing my  release. i 
 shove  him off of me, and he  falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a  thin   rusty  chainmail 
 curtain is dropped  around me.  but  the 
 elevator  also speeds  up significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls   are  flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue.  i close my eyes and 
 curl  into a ball. but  then, the  glass 
 boy  screams,  a  piercing  sound   that 
 forces my eyes back open. i watch as  he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his body  pooling 
 down in his  now massive  tail, and  the 
 tip of it suddenly breaks of in a  glass 
 drop  that   falls  toward  the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's crawling  on  the stairs, unable to 
 keep his  body  upright. can't reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body  is turning  into  dark 
 pearls.  finally, he's  lost too much of 
 himself  and the scream  is  cut  short. 
 the   last    of    him   rains    down. 
                                          
 i still  can't  reach  the  levers  from 
 within  my cage.  looking  up,  i try to 
 make  out  the  ceiling, but it's  all a 
 whirling  sea of colours. below me glows 
 the hellfire  of the factory walls,  but 
 very  faint. i  sit down,  curl back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk  shakes my entire  body, 
 and  snaps  me  back  into reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are   still  moving   slightly, 
 clicking in  place, carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i  slowly  dismount   the   stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and  crying, i  make my way over 
 the  factory floor, wading  through dark 
 glass  marbles. a quick glance down, and 
 i  see there's  something  faint  inside 
 them.    embryos?    are   these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.