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.