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.