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.