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.