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.