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.