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.