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.