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.