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.