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.