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.