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.