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.