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.