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.