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.