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.