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.