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.