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.