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.