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.