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.