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.