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.