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.