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.