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.