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.