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.