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.