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.