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.