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.