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.