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.