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.