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.