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.