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.