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.