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.