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.