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.