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.