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.