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.