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.