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.