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.