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.