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.