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.