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.