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.