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.