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.