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.