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.