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.