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.