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.