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.