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.