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.