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.