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.