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.