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.