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.