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.