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.