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.