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.