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.