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.