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.