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.