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.