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.