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.