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.