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.