"Yes, I eventually escaped on a small boat. Only official Venetian ships were allowed into the port on Murano. Each ship brought supplies to us and carried away vast inventories of window glass, mirrors, and Cristallo to Venice for trade and export. There were ten to fifteen soldiers on each ship that checked for stowaways when they counted the cargo in port and it was the job of the island governor to conduct a head count of all the islands inhabitants after each ship left. On the two occasions that there were escapes, both men were eventually hunted down and killed by assassins hired by the Doge of Venice. They brought back their bodies tied to the prows of the ships so that everyone on Murano would know what became of them. This stranglehold on the island kept a European glass monopoly in Venice for centuries, but it also allowed me my chance at fortune and comfort later.

"The whole plan took about a year. There were two main ships that visited the island for pickups. They alternately came every two weeks except for special projects.

"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.