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.