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.