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.