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.