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.