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.