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.