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.