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.