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.