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.