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.