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.