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.