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.