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.