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.