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.