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.