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.