Craftsman Shad led them back to the art boards and faced the apprentices. “This is a task with practical implications. Let’s test your ability to design a new personifate with a specific purpose. Imagine that there are huge mineral supplies to be found under the oceans at a secret location. The mining of such material would be problematic, unless we had some personifates designed for underwater use. I’d like you to get working on the problem. Let’s see what animal forms you can come up with. Use what you know, but be creative!”

They were all assigned to a design board. The others got straight to work. Prue stared at her paper for a full minute. She picked up a pencil. Put it down again. Picked up another. Suddenly her mind was as blank as the page before her. She became aware of Craftsman Primrose moving around the group. He spent the next minute with Edwin, who was behind Prue, and had already got to work on something detailed. Glancing over her shoulder, she marvelled at how his small paws moved with precision.

Panic was setting in. Francis would’ve been able to manage it; he was always much better at drawing the plans for machinery than she was. What if she was about to be found out? She tapped her pencil rapidly on the paper. What could she do? A fish? Too boring. A whale? Not practical. Then she thought of a book Francis used to read her when she was tiny. It was a myth from their father’s homeland called The Merman.

She drew a circle for the face and then attempted a body with a fish tail.

Cora, who was beside her, was drawing a perfect tentacled creature. She sniggered. “Seriously. What is that? Is that some country bumpkin folklore?”

Prue scowled and put down her pencil.

Craftsman Primrose walked over. “Is everything all right, Frances?”

She nodded, “I’m just thinking.”

“Why don’t you try something simple first, perhaps like Agapantha’s drawing – a sea serpent?”

“I wanted to come up with my own idea.”

“Sometimes the best ideas are well-executed copies of existing things which you bring your own flair to. Besides, human forms are strictly forbidden for personifates.”

“Even those with a fish tail?”

He laughed. “Look, we can’t all excel in every area at the factorium, but if you can’t draw your ideas, you won’t be able to share them as easily.”

Prue glanced across at Cora’s perfect drawing. “Master Woolstenbury said we need to be able to turn our hands to all aspects if we’re to be successful.”

“As long as you are willing to work on your weak areas. If I’m correct, your strengths will lie primarily in mechanics, but it doesn’t mean you can’t improve in other areas.”

Prue nodded.

“Let’s see if I can help you on your way a little with this design.”