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.