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.