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.