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.