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.