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.