FOUR
She opened the door as furtively as possible, but the old wood, swollen from the high humidity habitually infesting the sea-bound islands, creaked and groaned. The men below, so intent upon their tasks, so conditioned to the sounds of straining, moist timber, did not look up. In truth, they exhibited not the slightest hint that they were aware of her presence. Sophia sighed with relief. With quiet grace, she carried a large jug of fresh water and the old dented mugs down the turning flight of rickety steps. Standing before the furnaces for hours on end, much of the glassmaker’s bodily fluids evaporated through their heat-dilated pores. To drink liters of water whenever possible had become as much a part of the process as the turning of the ferri, a necessity. One had to replace the p
