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.