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.