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.