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.