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.