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.