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.