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.