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.