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.