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.