"Loading cargo was not my assigned duty but the porters never seemed to mind an extra hand down at the dock. I helped with the loading for months until my face was known to everyone on both crews. It was only then that I made my next move.

"The crews used the same crates over and over and we would always unload the empty crates back into the island's warehouse so they could be used again for the next outgoing load of glass.

"My main duty was to blow and shape glass, which I did now with extreme care and craft. I made museum quality pieces by the dozens; flowers, orbs, vases, statues, then carefully packed them in straw filled crates so that each piece lay exposed on top. I then secretly placed all of these crates in an unused part of the warehouse and waited for my ship to come in.

"When the church bells announced its arrival, I made my way to the dock like normal, unloaded the empty crates like normal, smiled and said hello to the crew members like normal. Then when it came time to load the ship, I brought out my masterpieces. I carried every fifth crate that came out of the warehouse, only I grabbed mine off of my special pile in the back. The crates the other four carried had a layer of straw on the top but mine were open to the sun which brilliantly illuminated each piece. I studied the face of each guard as I passed with my crates. After the sixth trip, I knew which one it would be. His eyes lit up and he craned his neck to look at each piece as I went by. He stopped me on the next trip and picked up a large purple tinted swan I had completed just four days before.

"I talked with him for several minutes and told him that I had made the pieces he had been admiring. He praised my skill and expressed interest in seeing more of my works the next time they came to port. I knew what to do after that.

"During the day I worked on the regular quota of mirrors and plate glass, and at night I would fire up the furnace alone and work on my own pieces. I worked alone at night for the next month, producing nineteen pieces including an incredibly difficult mirrored glass ball about the size of an orange. When his boat returned, I carried my special crates from the back of the warehouse again. He stopped me on my first pass and told me to place my crates in the back corner of the ship's hold. He went below and inspected each piece in every crate as I carried them in. He admired each work covetously and seemed blind to his position and responsibility while he held them. I sat down and made my pitch after I carried in the last crate.