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.