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.