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.