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.