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.