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.