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.