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.