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.