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.