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.