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.