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.