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.