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.