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.