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.