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.