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.