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.