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.