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.