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.