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.