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.