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.