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.