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.