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.