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.