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.