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.