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.