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.