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.