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.