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.