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.