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.