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.