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.