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.