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.