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.