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.