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.