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.