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.