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.