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.