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.