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.