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.