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.