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.