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.