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.