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.