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.