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.