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.