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.