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.