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.