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.