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.