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.