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.