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.