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.