Walker High School - Pepper Pot Yearbook (Simsbury, CT)

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The PaTricia Wood ShorT STory Prize Awarded To MARY BUSHNELL PEARCE THE SPHERE MICHAEL moved cauTiously as he arranged a group oT Tiny Tigures in The glass shop window. He paused only To wave or smile aT some passerby. This was oTTen, Tor everyone in NeuchaTel knew Michael, The old glass blower's adopTed son. There was always a group oT children around The window. Today liTTle clouds appeared and disappeared around Their Taces as They breaThed againsT The cold glass. Pierre's glass shop was an essenTial parT oT The old Swiss village. No one could remember when iT had noT been There and iT was undersTood ThaT Michael would keep up The TradiTion aTTer Pierre's deaTh. ln The back oT The shop Pierre seTTled a pair oT old Tashioned glasses on his nose, brushed a shock oT whiTe hair away Trom his Torehead and called To The boy in The window. Come, Michael, we musT geT back To our work. The lighT is Tailing and my eyes are weaker TonighT. Michael sTepped lighTly over The parTiTion aT The back oT The window and Took his place opposiTe Pierre aT The scarred work Table. Pierre sTudied Michael's dark head which was benT over a heavy leaTher-bound volume oT The old glass masTers oT Venice. Suddenly The boy looked up. His inTense gray eyes meT Pierre's. Some day, FaTher Pierre, l will prove To you ThaT The long hours and The paTience you have given in Teaching me have noT been losT. Pierre did noT answer. His silence was a symbol OT The perTecT undersTanding beTween The man and The boy. Michael Toyed absTracTly wiTh a delicaTe liTTle glass globe wiThin which was a Tiny Tigure which spun as you Turned The globe on iTs wooden pedesTal. The globe had been on The Table as long as Michael had worked There. He was always pensive when he ThoughT oT This, Tor Pierre had blown iT nineTeen years ago when Michael had TirsT come To live wiTh him. The sphere represenTed Pierre's liTe and The Tigure wiThin was Michael, The cenTer oT ThaT liTe. Michael had oTTen vowed ThaT he would never TorgeT The signiTicance oT ThaT biT oT glass. WiTh This ThoughT in mind he reTurned To his work wiTh renewed vigor. Pierre rose and moved quieTly abouT The shop. He knew every deTail oT iT. The heavy pine cases wiTh glass TronTs ThaT housed his books and his Tools, The low bench along The wall, The greaT iron bound chesT aT The back oT The room, even The old walls oT knarled pine: all oT These Things were his Triends. He smiled happily as he ThoughT oT Michael carrying on his work in The same room aTTer he had gone. 90

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The oil lamp swung dizzily Trom The ceiling as The shop door opened and leT in sTrong gusTs oT cold evening air. Three Tanned young men oT abouT Michael's age caused The Tloor To Tremble wiTh The heavy Thuds oT ski-booTs, packs, and skiis as They enTered The shop. One reached in TronT oT Michael and deTTly closed The book under his nose. We're oTT, hurry iT up a biT Michael or The Tiniculare will go oTT wiThouT us. They expecT us aT The Top oT The mounTain Tor dinner you know . They laughed and ioked wiTh Pierre while Michael gaThered his Things TogeTher upsTairs. Pierre knew The boys well Tor Michael oTTen wenT skiing wiTh Them on The mounTain in back oT The village. Usually They leTT as They were doing now, on SaTurday evening and came back on Sunday evening. Michael sang his way down The narrow sTaircase, swung his heavy pack easily inTo place on his back, said goodbye To Pierre and disappeared ouT The door wiTh The oThers. Pierre TelT suddenly lonely. BuT he was glad To have Michael go oTT on These excursions because he TelT ThaT The boy worked Too hard as iT was. Their skiis Tairly Tlew over The snow as The boys skied Towards The morning sun which was already quiTe high over The mounTain. Michael led The way along The base oT The cliTTs wiTh The easy grace oT The experT. Suddenly Trom behind him came TerriTied shouTs OT warning. Michael, waTch ouT above! The snow is slipping. Michael sTruggled TranTically To escape The Tremendous mass oT avalanching snow ThaT hurTled down upon him. l-lis skiis seemed bolTed To The cenTer oT The earTh. His body was paralyzed excepT Tor The pounding oT his hearT againsT his ribs and his lungs Tearing aT his chesT as Though They would bursT. An unbelievable weighT crushed him To The ground. The avalanche sTopped as quickly as iT had sTarTed leaving only a cloud oT whiTe powder suspended in The air above. The boys clawed blindly aT The snow unTil iT surrended Michaels limp Torm. Their enTire beings sTrained wiThin an inch oT breaking, They sTarTed back To The inn carrying Michael beTween Them. Their heads swam insanely and Their minds ToughT The realiTy oT The momenT wiTh a savageness ThaT showed in Their Taces. l-lans sTayed wiTh Michael aT The inn while The oTher Two wenT down inTo The village. Every sTep broughT Them nearer To Pierre. WhaT could They say To him? T-Tow could They Tell him when They couldn'T believe iT Themselves? They walked as Though dazed and sTood Tor several minuTes beTore eiTher one made a move To open The door oT The Tamiliar liTTle glass shop. As was his cusTom on Sundays Pierre was preparing The work which he and Michael would do TogeTher on The Tollowing morning. The boys Tried The door. A sTrong gusT oT wind swepT in Through The crack. Pierre Turned in Time To see The liTTle glass sphere wiTh iTs spinning Tigure, shaTTer helplessly againsT The sTone Tloor. 9 I