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.