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.