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.