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.