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.