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.