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.