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.