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.