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.