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.