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.