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.