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.