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.