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.