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.