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.