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.