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.