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.