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.