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.