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.