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.