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.