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.