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.