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.