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.