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.