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.