Each day feels the same: Wake up and march around the mulberry tree in the yard. That is our exercise. Weave cloth; grease machines; stoke fires; haul rocks. That is our work. Eat hardtack with weevils or flick them away. That is our meal. Then more work. Then night falls, and we sleep. Then day breaks, and we begin again.
Each day is one day less that we will spend as prisoners in this workhouse of a prison.
'Tell me again about Patrick,' says Fei Fei, rubbing her thin hands together as her breath whitens the air.
Our guards huddle in the doorway across the dusty yard, unwilling to guard us too closely on such a cold morning. I steal a mulberry while I'm on the opposite side of the tree, and pop it in my mouth, speaking past the sour juice: 'My son is tall, and quiet, and clever. He will come for me.'
'And you'll fly away,' says Fei Fei, smiling at our ritualised conversation before she doubles over coughing. Her jagged-edged hair hangs over her face and she turns her head away to try to hide the blood ringing her mouth.
It never occurs to her to ask if Patrick will save her when he saves me. I hope he comes soon. If he doesn't, Fei Fei will die.
Beg her not to work today.
Go to Page 3.
Get medicine for her.
Go to Page 4.
[[3. Beg her not to work today]]
[[4. Get medicine for her]]'Please Fei Fei,' I say. 'Don't work today. You need to rest, and heal.'
'You know I'll be whipped if I don't.'
'Not if the rest of us do your work for you,' I said, glancing around for support. Surely, with so many women cramped into the prison, we could cover one girl's quota for a day or two.
Abiona is the closest to me; a shadow of a woman, dark and silent. She stares at the ground, evidently wishing her hair was straighter so she could hide behind it. Surely someone so shy won't be able to refuse me if I ask her for help.
Vanti is beside her. She's small and quick―quick enough to gather the ripest and sweetest mulberries from the more visible side of the tree. So far she's avoided being assigned to the press because she has a talent for maintenance.
Ask Abiona to go on the press today while you do her sewing.
Go to Page 17.
Ask Vanti to go on the press today while you maintain the engines.
Go to Page 19.
[[17.Ask Abiona to go on the press today while you do her sewing]]
[[19.Ask Vanti to go on the press today while you maintain the engines]]
People say the medical cabin is the most dangerous part of the prison. I've buried some of the bodies myself, since I'm strong enough to dig in this hard ground without fainting. But all the medicines are kept there.
I have an advantage, of course: I'm not sick.
Steal medicine and bring it to Fei Fei.
Go to Page 35.
Bring Fei Fei's illness to the attention of one of the nicer guards.
Go to Page 49.
[[35.Steal medicine and bring it to Fei Fei.]]
[[49.Bring Fei Fei's illness to the attention of one of the nicer guards.]]'Abiona?' I say. 'Do you think you can cover Fei Fei's work on the press while I cover her quota of sewing?'
She gives me one silent, beseeching look and then ducks her head again. I think it's a nod, and stifle my own guilt for asking such a thing.
No one would even think of me for the press. I'm bigger and broader than half the guards, so I'm more suited to stoking or hauling. Sometimes I wish I didn't take up so much space. Then I'm guiltily glad that no one would ever ask a woman as stout as me to scamper across the press.
Tell her not to worry. You'll do it.
Go to Page 22.
Thank Abiona.
Go to Page 21.
[[22. Tell her not to worry. You'll do it.]]
[[21.Thank Abiona.]]'Vanti?' I say. 'Do you think you can cover Fei Fei's work on the press while I check on the machines for you?'
She pops the last mulberry in her mouth and presses her lips together, looking much older than her fourteen years. I stifle my own guilt for asking such a thing.
Not for the first time, I feel a fleeting wish to be as little and lithe as so many of the women here. They fit more easily in a shared bed, and they eat less, and they move more quickly than I do. But I'm grateful none of the guards ever choose me for the press. It's dangerous work, and even Mr Karl doesn't enjoy seeing a woman crushed.
'I'm on sewing today,' Vanti says. 'You can cover my work, if you're a reasonable seamstress.
Tell her not to worry. I'll work on the press.
Go to Page 22.
Thank Vanti, and go to the sewing shed.
Go to Page 16.
[[22. Tell her not to worry. You'll do it.]]
[[16.Thank Vanti.]]The room containing the metal press is noisy, giving the shouted conversations a syncopated rhythm.
Clearing the press is a job best best suited to children, which is unbearable. Abiona is the best choice, if only she's quick enough to avoid being crushed.
All she has to do is move quickly, and everything will be fine. She gives you another silent, desperate glance.
You've never heard her speak.
She takes a deep breath, readying herself in a half-crouch like a marathon racer. Then she runs, grabbing a golden bowl from its mould and sliding along the steel the rest of the way.
Not all the way. Not fast enough.
Crash!
The press catches her, and crushes her so quickly she doesn't have time to scream.
You wonder what her voice sounded like. Now you'll never know.
[[THE END]]Guilt compels me to detour past the press room. If Vanti is going to risk her life because of my request, the least I can do is be there when she faces her fear for the first time.
It's simple enough, in theory. The press will crash down; Vanti will dart across to pick up the moulded metal; the press will crash down again.
All she has to do is move quickly.
She takes a deep breath and leaps inside, grabbing up the newly-minted golden bowl from its place and darting out again.
Crash!
She laughs, delighted to have beaten the machine.
'Off you go then,' she says to me, and I hurry along to the sewing room.
Focus on the sewing.
Go to Page 69.
Get to know the girls on the desks to either side of you.
Go to Page 71.
[[69.Focus on the sewing]]
[[71.Get to know the girls on the desks to either side of you.]]The press is the iron heartbeat of the prison, pounding metal with a terrifying inevitability.
You chose not to tell Fei Fei that you couldn't find a suitable volunteer to take her place. The job is best suited to children, which is unbearable.
It's simple enough, in theory. The press crashes down; you dart across to pick up the moulded metal; the press crashes down again.
All you have to do is move quickly, and stay inside the rhythm. It's like a dance, or so you tell yourself. You used to dance with Mr O'Connell, long ago. Before you had Patrick.
Breathe. Run.
Crash!
The press catches you, and crushes you so quickly you don't have time to scream. Sometimes a life ends in an eyeblink, and that is all you get.
[[THE END]]
[[1. Start: Escape From The Female Factory]]
Info on ifcomp
An expanded version of this story is available for free online via the 2017 section of the Interactive Fiction Competition. The IF Comp is a great source of good quality interactive fiction, and is well worth exploring. I entered in 2015 and 2016 as well, and my 2016 story features Emmeline, Matilda, Patrick, and Samir.
ifcomp.org
Please note that although judging is public for this content, it is based on merit, not popularity. If you choose to join the judging, remember to judge fairly. I would far rather lose fairly than win unfairly, and I have asked the judges to disqualify me if there is any hint of people coming into the competition just to give me a higher score. That would annoy me very much.Taking your cue from Abiona, you bend over your work and sew. The rest of the world fades away, and there are only shirts, and shirts, and shirts. Stitches and seams and sewing needles.
Your back aches and your neck aches and your fingers are blistering and bloody from making the same small movements over and over in exactly the same, and sometimes jabbing your flesh as you push the needle through the cloth.
'Shauna,' says a soft voice.
You lose all your rhythm at once and look up at Abiona. Her voice is low, as if she is a singer saving it up for a soulful cry. You've never heard her speak before.
'It's time to eat,' she says, and you realise the room is half empty.
'Have I kept up?' I ask her.
Go to Page 40.
'Oh! Thank you.'
Go to Page 64.
[[40.'Have I kept up?' I ask her.]]
[[64.'Oh! Thank you.']]Abiona sits at my left, but when I say hello she doesn't respond at all. I'm not sure I've ever heard her speak.
On the other side is a child, Becky. Her hair is cropped short to keep her free of lice, and perhaps to make her look like a boy. Even in a female prison, it's best not to draw attention by looking feminine. She is humming to herself as she sews.
'Hello Becky,' I say.
She casts a quick look at her mother, Esther, who sits on her opposite side. Esther nods permission, and Becky's face lights up.
Everyone works so hard that she must rarely be spoken to.
'You're very good at sewing,' you say.
Go to Page 70.
'How old are you, little one?' you say.
Go to Page 65.
[[70.'You're very good at sewing,' you say.]]
[[65.'How old are you, little one?' you say.]]She hesitates. 'Nearly. I've sewn a couple extra. You won't get in trouble.'
'Thank you.'
I never asked her for a favour, but she did what was needed. Interesting. I wonder if she is a feminist.
'Have you heard of Henrietta Dugdale?' I ask her.
Go to Page 63.
'Do you know what's in the tin I carry?' I ask her.
Go to Page 72.
[[63.'Have you heard of Henrietta Dugdale?' I ask her.]]
[[72.'Do you know what's in the tin I carry?' I ask her.]]She ducks her head again. Apparently that means, 'You're welcome.' That's awfully good manners for a prison.
I never asked her for a favour, but she did what was needed. Interesting. I wonder if she is a feminist.
'Have you heard of Henrietta Dugdale?' I ask her.
Go to Page 63.
'Do you know what's in the tin I carry?' I ask her.
Go to Page 72.
[[63.'Have you heard of Henrietta Dugdale?' I ask her.]]
[[72.'Do you know what's in the tin I carry?' I ask her.]]'I know,' she says proudly.
I can't help shooting a sympathetic glance at her mother. Judging by the child's age―just old enough to start school, if she could afford such a thing―Esther has been here a long time. I wonder if Becky has ever felt sunlight on her skin, and the thought makes my eyes fill with tears.
Esther has the tense look of a cat stalking its prey. If anyone harms Becky, Esther will kill them.
I keep talking to the child gently, remembering when my own child was so young. All too quickly, I remember that we both have quotas to meet.
This is more important than any quota.
Go to Page 34.
I turn back to my work, and let Becky do the same.
Go to Page 23.
[[34.This is more important than any quota.]]
[[23.I turn back to my work, and let Becky do the same.]]'I'm nearly seven,' she says proudly.
I can't help shooting a sympathetic glance at her mother. Esther has been here a long time. I wonder if Becky has ever felt sunlight on her skin, and the thought makes my eyes fill with tears.
Esther has the tense look of a cat stalking its prey. If anyone harms Becky, Esther will kill them.
I keep talking to the child gently, remembering when my own child was so young. All too quickly, I remember that we both have quotas to meet.
This is more important than any quota.
Go to Page 34.
I turn back to my work, and let Becky do the same.
Go to Page 23.
[[34.This is more important than any quota.]]
[[23.I turn back to my work, and let Becky do the same.]]'Food?' she says. 'Medicine? Maybe something metal, to pay your way once your sentence is done?'
'Better,' I say. 'It's a petition to give us the vote. Part of an enormous petition with signatures from all over the British Empire. At the top it demands the vote for all adults―men, women, landowners, or not.'
Abiona raises her eyebrows. She knows it's a wild dream.
'Do you want to sign it?' I ask her.
Go to Page 25.
'Sooner or later, we'll have a real political voice.'
Go to Page 46.
[[25.'Do you want to sign it?' I ask her.]]
[[46.'Sooner or later, we'll have a real political voice.]]I start singing the alphabet song, over and over again. Esther quivers, but I choose not to be afraid of her.
After the third time, Becky joins in at the beginning before faltering.
Five minutes later someone else joins in, and someone else.
Becky is getting the hang of it too, shouting the letters in her excitement.
The guard at the front of the room shuffles his feet. Mr Thomson. I can tell he would dearly like to join in, but knows he shouldn't. It's strange to see one of the guards crack a smile, even if it's a reluctant one.
Then there are heavy footsteps behind me, and a heavy hand on my shoulder. I know who's hand it is without looking around. Mr Karl.
'I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again sir.'
Go to Page 2.
We're teaching the children, so they can be more useful. How is that wrong?'
Go to Page 15.
[[2. 'I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again sir.]]
[[15.We're teaching the children, so they can be more useful. How is that wrong?']]She glows at the compliment.
'Back to work, you two,' Esther says between her teeth.
I bend over my work and sew. The rest of the world fades away, and there are only shirts, and shirts, and shirts. Stitches and seams and sewing needles.
My back aches and my neck aches and my fingers are blistering and bloody from making the same small movements over and over exactly the same, and sometimes jabbing my flesh as I push the needle through the cloth.
'Shauna,' says a soft voice.
I lose all my rhythm at once and look up at Abiona. Her voice is low, as if she is a singer saving it up for a soulful cry. I've never heard her speak before.
'It's time to eat,' she says, and I realise the room is half empty. Becky and Esther are gone.
'Have I kept up?' I ask her.
Go to Page 40.
'Oh! Thank you.'
Go to Page 64.
[[40.'Have I kept up?' I ask her.]]
[[64.'Oh! Thank you.']]The singing stops at once, and I see Esther pinch Becky hard on the leg so she puts her head down.
Mr Karl circles the room, peering over shoulders and glaring at anyone foolish enough to look up.
I bend over my work and sew. The rest of the world fades away, and there are only shirts, and shirts, and shirts. Stitches and seams and sewing needles.
My back aches and my neck aches and my fingers are blistering and bloody from making the same small movements over and over exactly the same, and sometimes jabbing my flesh as I push the needle through the cloth.
'Shauna,' says a soft voice.
I lose all my rhythm at once and look up at Abiona. Her voice is low, as if she is a singer saving it up for a soulful cry. I've never heard her speak before.
'It's time to eat,' she says, and I realise the room is half empty. Becky and Esther are gone.
'Have I kept up?' I ask her.
Go to Page 40.
'Oh! Thank you.'
Go to Page 64.
[[40.'Have I kept up?' I ask her.]]
[[64.'Oh! Thank you.']]Esther stands and looks Mr Karl in the eye, and I realise I've said exactly the wrong thing. I've given her courage, when I should have helped her keep her daughter safe.
'She's little,' says Mr Karl. His voice drips with malice.
'No,' says Esther. Her voice breaks on the word.
'I think she'll do very well on the press, don't you?'
'No,' says Esther. Her body tenses like a spring.
'Oh, but she will,' says Mr Karl.
Esther strikes. She drives her fingers into his eyes, and when he howls in pain she knees him in the groin. He doubles over, and she grabs his gun, slamming it into readiness and shooting him beneath the chin as he gropes in the air for something to hold on to.
Becky screams, and Abiona grabs her and runs, clutching the girl to her chest. They flee out the back door.
Mr Karl lies on the floor, and Esther lies beside him. She's bleeding too, combining their blood into one great stain on the dirt floor.
Mr Thomson shot her. He had to.
'Back to work,' he says through his tears. 'Back to work, all of you.'
'Abiona,' I whisper. 'Becky.' I hear two more gunshots.
They echo from the tall mountains outside.
[[THE END]]'Certainly not,' she says.
'But why?' I blurt out, shocked at her refusal.
She pauses to concentrate as she nibbles around a patch of mould on her hard tack biscuit. 'In fairy tales, names have great power.'
'Yes,' I say. 'Exactly. Imagine the power of thousands of names. We can change the world!'
'Or we can have our sentences doubled,' she says in her quiet way.
'You're afraid to sign,' I say.
Go to Page 62.
'Not if we all band together,' I say.
Go to Page 14.
[[62.'You're afraid to sign,' I say.]]
[[14.'Not if we all band together,' I say.]]She pauses to concentrate as she nibbles around a patch of mould on her hard tack biscuit. 'In fairy tales, names have great power.'
'Yes,' I say. 'Exactly. Imagine the power of thousands of names. We can change the world!'
'Or we can have our sentences doubled,' she says in her quiet way.
'You're afraid to sign,' I say.
Go to Page 62.
'Not if we all band together,' I say.
Go to Page 14.
[[62.'You're afraid to sign,' I say.]]
[[14.'Not if we all band together,' I say.]]'Aren't you?' she asks. 'You are not so naive, surely.'
'Is it naive to believe that women are as capable of intelligent thought as any man? To believe our world can change?'
'I agree with the idea, but look around you,' she says. 'Walls. Then more walls. Then mountains. No one can hear our voices from here.'
'They will!' I say, latching onto the sympathy in her voice. 'I'll make them listen!'
She shakes her head at me as if I'm a child. 'Don't argue with me, Shauna. I agree with your theory, but you are going about this the wrong way.'
'What do you suggest we do, then?' I ask.
Go to Page 13.
'Even if we fail, we must risk ourselves to better the future.'
Go to Page 33.
[[13.'What do you suggest we do, then?' I ask.]]
[[33.'Even if we fail, we must risk ourselves to better the future.']]'I agree with the idea, but look around you,' she says. 'Walls. Then more walls. Then mountains. No one can hear our voices from here.'
'They will!' I say. 'I'll make them listen!'
She shakes her head at me as if I'm a child. 'Don't argue with me, Shauna. I agree with your theory, but you are going about this the wrong way.'
'What do you suggest we do, then?' I ask.
Go to Page 13.
'Even if we fail, we must risk ourselves to better the future.'
Go to Page 33.
[[13.'What do you suggest we do, then?' I ask.]]
[[33.'Even if we fail, we must risk ourselves to better the future.']]'Talk to Esther,' she says firmly. 'If you can convince her, you can convince anyone.'
'What do you suggest I say to her?' I ask in dismay. 'She cannot take risks―her daughter could come to harm.'
'If you believe so faithfully in the future, then it is worth the risk. We may die here, but Becky is still young.' She fixes her eyes on mine. 'Becky dreams of flying. She dreams she is a bird, and she lifts herself up into the sky, and over the mountains.'
'What does she see on the other side?' I ask.
'Nothing,' says Abiona. 'She wakes up.'
Sit next to Esther.
Go to Page 44.
Sit next to Esther's daughter, Becky.
Go to Page 24.
[[44.Sit next to Esther.]]
[[24.Sit next to Esther's daughter, Becky.]]
'No,' she says, with the gentle finality of a palliative nurse. 'We survive. That is all.'
I ask others, but they all say the same thing. They're afraid. It's useless. We're only women, and prisoners at that.
The petition is a roll of empty paper; nothing more.
I stop asking women to sign their names, and Fei Fei stops asking me when I will be rescued.
Every day is exactly the same.
[[THE END]]I cast a cautious look at the guards and then shift to sit beside Esther. There isn't much time left before we'll resume work, and Esther is collecting her own weevils along with Becky's share, and crushing them into a paste on Becky's biscuit.
Becky crosses her eyes and sticks out her tongue.
'Eat it,' Esther says in a low voice. 'Or I'll slap your head off your shoulders and toss it down for Mr Baddeley to kick.'
Becky pauses, deciding whether to laugh, pout, or obey.
'Do as your mother says, little one.'
Go to Page 32.
'Mr Baddeley is very strong. I wouldn't want him to kick my head around.'
Go to Page 57.
[[32.'Do as your mother says, little one.]]
[[57.'Mr Baddeley is very strong. I wouldn't want him to kick my head around.']]I cast a cautious look at the guards and then shift to sit beside Becky.
There isn't much time left before we'll resume work, and Esther is collecting her own weevils along with Becky's share, and crushing them into a paste on Becky's biscuit.
Becky crosses her eyes and sticks out her tongue.
'Eat it,' Esther says in a low voice. 'Or I'll slap your head off your shoulders and toss it down for Mr Baddeley to kick.'
Becky pauses, deciding whether to laugh, pout, or obey.
'Do as your mother says, little one.'
Go to Page 32.
'Mr Baddeley is very strong. I wouldn't want him to kick my head around.'
Go to Page 57.
[[32.'Do as your mother says, little one.]]
[[57.'Mr Baddeley is very strong. I wouldn't want him to kick my head around.']]Becky sighs and obeys.
'What do you want?' Esther asks me.
I explain about the suffragette's petition, and that Abiona has recommended I speak with her about it.
'Did she now?' she growls.
'For Becky!'
Go to Page 58.
'She says the others listen to you.'
Go to Page 54.
[[58.'For Becky!']]
[[54.'She says the others listen to you.']]Becky laughs, and accidentally-on-purpose drops her hard tack on the floor.
'Pick it up,' says Esther with menace.
Becky obeys her, and eats it in silence.
'What do you want?' Esther asks me.
I explain about the monster petition, and that Abiona has recommended I speak with her about it.
'Did she now?' she growls.
'For Becky!'
Go to Page 58.
'She says the others listen to you.'
Go to Page 54.
[[58.'For Becky!']]
[[54.'She says the others listen to you.']]'You tread on dangerous ground,' she says in a low voice.
I keep my voice low. 'What if the petition leads to universal adult suffrage? We might not be able to vote, but Becky could.'
Esther looks from her daughter to me.
'This bit of paper is all the voice we have,' I say. 'But if we have the courage and the hope to sign it, women may gain a greater voice in future.'
Becky finishes her biscuit, and looks up at her mother. 'I could vote?'
'Yes Becky,' says Esther. 'When you're old enough.'
I reach to draw the precious tin from its hiding place.
'Not here,' says Esther. 'Hang it from the lee side of the mulberry tree tomorrow morning. I'll sign it. We all will.'
The following day women began to sign the petition. Dozens. Scores. Hundreds. I know hardly any of them.
Fei Fei signs it to. She returns to work. We carry on.
Three weeks later, there is a new guard. Mr O'Reilly, supposedly.
It's Patrick.
Run to greet him.
Go to Page 9.
Tell Abiona who he is, and no one else.
Go to Page 11.
[[9.Run to greet him.]]
[[11.Tell Abiona who he is, and no one else.]]'True enough,' she says. 'But I choose not to listen to you.'
'But―'
'No,' she says. 'Stop asking, or I'll be forced to hurt you. This isn't our fight.'
'Who else is there?' I demand. 'You can't silence me. Not about this.'
'Stop asking,' she says again. 'Let it go, or I'll hurt you.'
Becky feels the tension and goes to Abiona, burying her face in the woman's chest.
'Don't you think―'
Esther bursts into action, drawing a sharpened stick of iron from her baggy uniform and stabbing me in the stomach again and again and again.
'Sorry,' I say, or try to say. It's much too late for that now.
Why am I on the floor?
Why is everyone yelling?
I bleed out, with the unsigned petition still lying hidden inside its protective tin.
[[THE END]]No one's technically on guard over the medical cabin: an unheated hut made of broken rocks and wooden planks placed far enough from the main buildings that the screams of pain are muffled.
Unfortunately the 'medical' staff are merely those prison guards who are least affected by seeing the most intense suffering. I'm fairly sure Mr Baddeley will be asleep soon after our daily meal, so that will be my best opportunity to sneak inside.
When it's time to eat, go to the medical cabin instead.
Go to Page 56.
Go to the medical cabin at once, while it's too cold for the yard guards to emerge.
Go to Page 18.
[[56.When it's time to eat, go to the medical cabin instead.]]
[[18.Go to the medical cabin at once, while it's too cold for the yard guards to emerge.]]I walk once more around the mulberry tree and carefully examine the guards over at the doorway of the barracks.
Mr Karl isn't there, which means I have a chance. Mr Thomson is a lazy man who won't do us any favours―but nor will he rouse himself enough to shoot us if we commit a minor infraction. Mr Yohannes is watching Esther, as usual. She's stamping her steps into the hard ground as if she can crush him beneath her feet. I don't see Mr Baddeley, which means he's probably already in the medical cabin. He's been known to cast women out so he can take a nap on their recently-vacated pallets.
Take Fei Fei directly across the yard to the medical cabin, walking casually and staying in plain sight.
Go to Page 36.
Report Fei Fei's illness to Mr Thomson.
Go to Page 20.
[[36.Take Fei Fei directly across the yard to the medical cabin, walking casually and staying in plain sight.]]
[[20.Report Fei Fei's illness to Mr Thomson.]]All morning as I break rocks in the cold air, I hear the rhythmic crashing of the hydraulic press falling, and falling, and falling. I hope Fei Fei is still fast enough to escape the weight of the steel as it falls on her.
It's fortunate that breaking rocks doesn't take a great deal of concentration, or I would be in danger myself. As it is, I sort several rocks incorrectly, throwing away some that contains specks of valuable metal.
Fortunately no one notices. At last the bell rings for our noonday meal, and I give my pickaxe back to Mr Karl and leave the rockyard, turning left toward the medical cabin instead of right to food and the precious ability to sit down.
I make it to the cabin and walk inside, where Mr Baddeley is doling out the patients' rations.
'Mr Baddeley, I need medicine for Fei Fei's cough.'
Go to Page 67.
'Mr Baddeley, Mr Karl sent me to fetch medicine for Fei Fei's cough.'
Go to Page 6.
[[67.'Mr Baddeley, I need medicine for Fei Fei's cough.]]
[[6. 'Mr Baddeley, Mr Karl sent me to fetch medicine for Fei Fei's cough.']]As I walk away from the other women, I realise my mistake. I'm walking toward the medical cabin, but the outer wall of the prison lies just beyond it. It looks like I'm trying to escape.
I can't help it. I run.
Someone shouts at me. A man.
I run on, helpless to make things better. The medical cabin is so close. All I need to do is get through the gap in the stone walls.
The bullet hits me a moment before I register the sound of the shot.
I try to keep running, but my legs stop working and I fall forward, limp as rags, and break my nose on the compacted ground.
My arms won't push me up, or even turn me over.
'No,' I grumble, slurring the word through my own blood. 'Fei Fei. . .'
Then my mouth stops working, and my breath.
Everyone gets out of the Female Factory eventually. Unfortunately I'll be leaving in a box.
[[THE END]]'Come on,' I say to Fei Fei. 'At least if they shoot us it'll be quick.'
I put my arm around her, noticing as I do so how thin she's grown. She leans into me willingly, reminding me of when I was a mother with a sick child.
Patrick recovered, and so will she. I'll make her get better, one way or another.
We walk away from the mulberry tree, not too fast and not too slow. My back itches, knowing the guards have noticed us.
'Slouch more,' I tell Fei Fei.
Go to Page 66.
'Speed up,' I tell Fei Fei.
Go to Page 50.
[[66.'Slouch more,' I tell Fei Fei.]]
[[50.'Speed up,' I tell Fei Fei.]]Mr Thomson is one of those guards who looks more miserable than us prisoners.
'Excuse me, Sir,' I say. 'Fei Fei is ill.'
'So?'
'Please can she go to the medical cabin?' I ask. 'She needs medicine.'
He looks her over, and I can see him thinking that she would be one less mouth to feed if she died.
'Come with me,' he says, and leads her away.
For a moment I think she's saved. Then I realise where he's taking her: to solitary.
Another small stone cabin, except this one has no beds, no food, no water, and a locked door. It doubles as a quarantine if someone is seriously ill. They almost never survive, which is a bonus to the prison's bottom line.
Fei Fei realises what's happening at the same time I do, and she turns back over her shoulder and blows me a farewell kiss as I begin to cry.
She never steps outside again.
[[THE END]]He waves at a wooden chest of drawers on the opposite side of the cabin.
'Any enemy of Mr Karl is a friend of mine,' he says quietly.
I find willowbark, tea leaves, and several empty jars. Tea leaves don't hold much nutrition, but Fei Fei is so starved they could make a real difference. Besides, doesn't tea solve everything?
She breaks down coughing again, and for far too long I'm not sure she'll ever take another normal breath.
'Fei Fei needs rest, too.'
Go to Page 37.
'Thank you Sir.'
Go to Page 68.
[[37.'Fei Fei needs rest, too.']]
[[68.'Thank you Sir.']]'Did he now?' says Mr Baddeley.
I try my best to stare him down, but it's no use.
Luckily, he just smiles and waves at a wooden chest of drawers on the opposite side of the cabin.
'Take what you need,' he says. 'I care not.'
I rifle through the drawers quickly, knowing Mr Baddeley's mood could change in an instant. The only useful thing I find is willowbark, and I grab the sharp splinters at once.
'Fei Fei needs rest, too.'
Go to Page 37.
'Thank you Sir.'
Go to Page 68.
[[37.'Fei Fei needs rest, too.']]
[[68.'Thank you Sir.']]She leans more heavily against me, and I desperately hope it's enough to let the watching guards know we're not trying to escape.
After an eternity, we're inside. Mr Baddeley is scooping honey into a pot of tea. It smells incredible, and for a moment I forget why we're there.
Then Fei Fei doubles over, coughing as if her lungs are trying to escape.
She needs medicine,' I say to Mr Baddeley.
'Over there,' he says. 'Your guess is as good as mine.'
I find willowbark and tea leaves and I take them all, carefully not thinking about the women already crammed in here.
'Do you want her to stay here?' Mr Baddeley asks me.
'Fei Fei?' you ask her.
Go to Page 38.
'Thank you Sir!'
Go to Page 55.
[[38.'Fei Fei?' you ask her.]]
[[55. 'Thank you Sir!']]We pick up the pace, and I desperately hope we're close enough to the medical cabin to let the watching guards know we're not trying to escape.
After an eternity, we're inside. Mr Baddeley is sitting on the edge of a pallet which is crowded with three women too sick to stand.
'Fei Fei is coughing blood,' I say to him.
He shuffles a little farther away from us and waves at a wooden chest of drawers on the opposite side of the cabin to the door.
I find willowbark, and tea leaves, and a tiny pot of real honey―and I take them all, carefully not thinking about the women already crammed in here.
'Do you want her to stay here?' Mr Baddeley asks me.
'Fei Fei?' you ask her.
Go to Page 38.
'Thank you Sir!'
Go to Page 55.
[[38.'Fei Fei?' you ask her.]]
[[55. 'Thank you Sir!']]'I'd rather work,' she says.
Looking around at the other sick women, I understood her logic. She doesn't need to get a second infection on top of her cough.
Fei Fei and I leave the medical centre, and I immediately give her some of the willowbark. She chews it to a pulp and spits it out.
We follow the other women inside to begin our day's work, and for once I have a choice about where to go.
Volunteer for the railway crew.
Go to Page 48.
Stoke the factory engines.
Go to Page 45.
[[48.Volunteer for the railway crew.]]
[[45.Stoke the factory engines.]]He nods, pleased to be a good guy for once.
There's no room on any of the beds, so Fei Fei cleverly crawls underneath one of them. It's cramped, but at least she won't be stepped on. I'm confident she'll fall asleep at once. Her body will finally have a chance to heal.
I join the other women and prepare for my day's work. For some reason I'm allowed to choose my area today. I try not to think about the fact that it means one of the other workers is ill or dead.
Volunteer for the railway crew.
Go to Page 48.
Stoke the factory engines.
Go to Page 45.
[[48.Volunteer for the railway crew.]]
[[45.Stoke the factory engines.]]I take my place between two other burly women, and accept my tools along with them. Mr Yohannes is here, but he spends most of his time looking out the window so we work in relative peace.
Iron railway segments fly from the forge to us, crenellated along the upper edge like enormous flat cogs. Of course the real cogs are the wheels on the trains. Crenellated track is more expensive than the regular kind, but it's more efficient too. Only the best for the newly-wealthy colonies.
We check each piece for flaws and grab away any sections that need filing. Scrap, scrape, scrape, and the fixed sections join the rest. They run along the conveyor belt and directly into a wagon ready to be taken to Melbourne by horse. Someday Tasmania will get its own tracks, instead of merely manufacturing them for flatter areas of the colonies.
I'm Victorian myself, and carrying a secret petition in a tin under my skirt: a petition for women's suffrage.
Ask Mr Yohannes to sign the suffragette petition.
Go to Page 51.
Ask Vanti to sign the petition.
Go to Page 26.
[[51.Ask Mr Yohannes to sign the suffragette petition]]
[[26.Ask Vanti to sign the petition]]
The good thing about stoking is that I'll never get cold. I shovel and haul and rake the coal, losing the sensation of hunger in the curious pleasure of sweat-drenched labour. Not for the first time, I want to put down the one treasure I possess: a petition for women's suffrage hidden in a cylindrical tin under my skirt. It's awkward and annoying. As always, I resist. If I didn't believe in votes for women, I wouldn't be here.
At least the fire is bright; the only splash of colour in this grey world. Mr Karl comes past to check I'm keeping the fires burning high, and gives me an approving nod. It's probably the closest he's ever come to a kind word.
The day passes quickly, and soon Mr Karl returns to tell me it's time for luncheon.
Ask Vanti to sign the petition.
Go to Page 26.
Ask Mr Karl to sign the petition.
Go to Page 5.
[[26.Ask Vanti to sign the petition]]
[[5.Ask Mr Karl to sign the petition]]'Don't push your luck,' he says.
Fei Fei and I leave the medical cabin, and I immediately give her some of the willowbark.
She makes a face at the awful taste, but chews it dutifully. When she's reduced it to a pulpy mass I let her her spit it out.
'Do you feel better?' I ask.
'I certainly feel better now that awful substance is out of my mouth,' she says. 'Isn't it meant to relieve pain?'
'Maybe in a few minutes?'
We follow the other women inside to begin our day's work. Someone is sick, so the guards ask for a volunteer to join the railway crew.
Volunteer for the railway crew.
Go to Page 48.
Stoke the factory engines.
Go to Page 45.
[[48.Volunteer for the railway crew.]]
[[45.Stoke the factory engines.]]He grunts a gruff acknowledgement, but I can see he's pleased.
There's no room on any of the beds, so I settle Fei Fei as comfortably as possible against the wall. She leans back and sighs contentedly, and I'm confident she'll fall asleep at once. That's just what she needs.
I join the other women and prepare for my day's work. One of the railway women is ill, so the guard asks for a volunteer to take her place.
Volunteer for the railway crew.
Go to Page 48.
Stoke the factory engines.
Go to Page 45.
[[48.Volunteer for the railway crew.]]
[[45.Stoke the factory engines.]]Vanti shakes her head, but she's smiling. 'You're talking to the wrong person.'
'Your signature counts as much as anyone's,' I tell her.
'Yes—but you want more signatures than just mine. This place is a machine, and Esther is the burner. If you can win her over, you'll win all those who look up to her.'
'Thank you for the advice,' I say.
Sit next to Esther.
Go to Page 44.
Sit next to Esther's daughter, Becky.
Go to Page 24.
[[44.Sit next to Esther.]]
[[24.Sit next to Esther's daughter, Becky.]]It's awkward, but I manage to extract the precious tin and show Mr Karl the petition. I show him my own signature, and the many empty spaces below it.
'Will you sign it, sir?' I ask him. 'You would be advancing the cause for women's suffrage and I'd be very grateful.'
'Give it to me,' he says, and holds out his hand.
He's not reaching for the pencil―he's reaching for the tin.
I jerk away, realising my error, but it's already too late.
Mr Karl knocks the tin from my hand and grabs the petition with the other. I don't let go, and the precious document rips in two.
I cry out in real pain as Mr Karl throws his half of the petition into the boiler. He tugs the other pice from my nerveless fingers and consigns it to the same fate.
It's helpless, but I reach out for the burning paper, getting so close to the burner that my eyes stream with tears. At last I give up, and Mr Karl cuffs me on the ear to remind me of my place.
I am alive, but my most cherished dream is ash.
[[THE END]]'Mr Yohannes!' I say, but he doesn't hear me over the clanging of the iron bars falling into their places. 'Mr Yohannes!'
He turns to look at me, scowling. 'What is it now?'
'Do you believe in universal suffrage, Mr Yohannes?' I say.
He barks out a laugh. 'Get back to work.'
'I'm quite serious, Mr Yohannes,' I say. 'I have a petition. There are hundreds of signatures on it already.'
'In that case,' he says. 'You can go to solitary and think about a woman's place. That's my vote.'
I'm taken to the solitary hut, and left without food or water. For the first two days, I read the petition over and over. So many names, including my own.
It's no use. No one will ever see it.
The petition and I die together.
[[THE END]]She shakes her head. 'Is she a prisoner in another one of the yards?'
'Only metaphorically,' I say.
Abiona chuckles at my fancy way of talking.
'She's a suffragette,' I say. 'Right now she's gathering signatures for an enormous petition saying all adults―men, women, landowners or not―should have the vote.'
Abiona raises her eyebrows. She knows it's a wild dream.
'I have paper,' I tell her. 'For signatures.'
'Do you want to sign it?' I ask her.
Go to Page 25.
'Sooner or later, we'll have a real political voice.'
Go to Page 46.
[[25.'Do you want to sign it?' I ask her.]]
[[46.'Sooner or later, we'll have a real political voice.]]'Do you know your letters, Becky?' I ask her. 'One day you might want to learn to read.'
Her mother turns to stone, and I stiffen in turn―not knowing if she's about to grab the sewing scissors and stab me for putting on airs.
'B is for Becky,' she says. 'Abiona told me.'
Esther blushes, and I suddenly realise there's more to Abiona than meets the eye. Well, good! There's not much love to be had here.
Teach Becky how to sing the alphabet.
Go to Page 47.
'Clever girl, Becky.'
Go to Page 39.
[[47.Teach Becky how to sing the alphabet.]]
[[39.'Clever girl, Becky.']]I bend over my work and sew. The rest of the world fades away, and there are only shirts, and shirts, and shirts. Stitches and seams and sewing needles.
My back aches and my neck aches and my fingers are blistering and bloody from making the same small movements over and over exactly the same, and sometimes jabbing my flesh as I push the needle through the cloth.
'Shauna,' says a soft voice.
I lose all my rhythm at once and look up at Abiona. Her voice is low, as if she is a singer saving it up for a soulful cry. I've never heard her speak before.
'It's time to eat,' she says, and I realise the room is half empty. Becky and Esther are gone.
'Have I kept up?' I ask her.
Go to Page 40.
'Oh! Thank you.'
Go to Page 64.
[[40.'Have I kept up?' I ask her.]]
[[64.'Oh! Thank you.']]'Patrick!'
I run across the yard, jarring my knees in my haste. Patrick is taller than I remember; taller than me. He has fine posture that makes the stiff new uniform look worthy of respect, and when he hears me coming and turns to face me his mouth drops open in delighted surprise.
Then he comes to his senses, as I should have done, and turns his back. I skid to a halt, realising what a fool I've been.
Patrick gestures wildly, trying to distract the guard he's talking to. It's Mr Karl. Oh no.
Mr Karl looks from Patrick's face to mine, and a thin smile slashes his face.
Bribe him to let Patrick keep his job.
Go to Page 52.
Turn around and walk away.
Go to Page 30.
[[52.Bribe him to let Patrick keep his job.]]
[[30.Turn around and walk away.]]The best person to keep a secret is the prisoner who rarely speaks at all. I walk a little slower so I get a few extra seconds on the hidden side of the mulberry tree.
'Abiona,' I say softly. 'The new guard is Patrick, my son.'
Her eyes widen, and she nods her understanding.
'Tell no one,' I say.
'Esther,' she says in her soft voice. 'I tell her everything.'
I'm about to ask how she can share everything with Esther when I've never seen them having a conversation, but then I see Fei Fei.
She looks like she's wearing scarlet lipstick. It's a brilliant slash of colour, but it isn't lipstick―it's blood.
Fei Fei isn't recovered after all. I need to go and talk to her, so I quickly finish up the conversation with Abiona.
'Very well, but please tell Patrick I know he's here.'
Go to Page 12.
'Please don't tell anyone―except Patrick.'
Go to Page 61.
[[12.'All right, but please tell Patrick I know he's here.']]
[[61.'Please don't tell anyone—except Patrick.']]'Mr Karl, this is my son Patrick,' I say desperately, hoping to get credit for honesty since it's too late for me to lie. 'He's a good worker and will serve you well.'
Patrick stares at me in horror for a moment, then quickly erases all expression from his face.
Mr Karl frowns at him. 'Is this true, Mr. . . O'Reilly?'
'Yes sir. Of course sir,' says Patrick, noticing my signal to offer Mr Karl money. 'Mrs O'Connell is my father's second wife, since my birth mother died. I kept my surname, but she's been kind to me.'
'Hmm,' says Mr Karl. 'I gather you were hoping to use your position to give her greater privileges.'
Patrick looks at his feet. 'Indirectly. I've just come in to my birth mother's fortune and I hoped I could supply extra linens, or food, or medicine. Generally. And better equipment for us guards.'
My son is a truly accomplished liar. I'm not sure whether to be proud or dismayed.
'I'll leave you gentlemen to discuss details.'
Go to Page 60.
'The entire prison is overcrowded, and there are no trained medical personnel.'
Go to Page 43.
[[60.'I'll leave you men to discuss details.']]
[[43.'The entire prison is overcrowded, and there are no trained medical personnel.']]My heart is pounding as I walk away, fighting the desperate urge to look back and see if I've just put my son in grave danger.
Then I hear him call for me, and I turn.
'Mother!' Patrick cries a second time.
Mr Karl is dragging him away, saying, 'Consider yourself dismissed, young man!'
I ruined my own bid for freedom. It will be a long time until I see my son again.
[[THE END]]Fei Fei assures me she's fine, but she isn't. I silently beg Patrick to hurry.
Days pass, and every so often someone touches my hand in passing, or gives me a slightly over-long look as we exchange tools. It slowly dawns on me that everyone knows what is going on. Esther told them all, but managed to keep them from acting strangely enough to tip off the guards.
Then someone I don't know gives me a message: 'Wednesday'. That's all she says, and that's all we need.
On Tuesday night, no one sleeps. We lie in our beds and wait.
When we walk outside, I see something like wire hanging over the wall, and carefully look away. We circle the mulberry tree once, twice, three times. Then, with a scrape and a clang, a ladder literally drops into the yard.
It's time.
'Let's get out of here!'
Go to Page 42.
'Stay back! There's not enough room for everyone.'
Go to Page 31.
[[42.'Let's get out of here!']]
[[31.'Stay back! There's not enough room for everyone.']]I can see she's unhappy, but I'm sure I've made the right choice.
'Fei Fei?' I say. 'Why didn't you tell me you were coughing blood again?'
'You're not my saviour,' she says, and her voice is hoarse. 'Thank you for giving me a little more time.'
Two days later, Abiona tells me that she's contacted Patrick, and he's given her a message: 'Wednesday'.
Fei Fei doesn't have to die. I won't let her.
It's Tuesday. If I tell the others to prepare for a possible prison break in less than a day, the whole mood of the yard will shift and the guards will know there's something afoot. But if I tell no one, then no one will be ready.
'Spread the word to the others.'
Go to Page 59.
'Tell no one―but be ready.'
Go to Page 53.
[[59.'Spread the word to the others.']]
[[53.'Tell no one—but be ready.']]I walk away, half expecting a bullet between my shoulder blades at any moment. It never comes, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Patrick doesn't have an easy task ahead of him, but his position as guard should give him access to places and resources I can only dream of―and Mr Karl has his own motivation to keep our secret. I hope his greed is strong enough to keep us safe.
Let the other women know to be ready for anything.
Go to Page 28.
Tell no one that Patrick is here.
Go to Page 8.
[[28.Let the other women know to be ready for anything.]]
[[8.Tell no one that Patrick is here.]]'No,' says Mr Karl, with the solemn tone of an executioner. I know at once I've gone too far. 'The pair of you are far too comfortable together. I gather there's some kind of escape attempt afoot.'
'Why would I get a job here only to help Mother escape?' Patrick says desperately.
Mr Karl has already drawn his gun. He turns to me and swings the gun like a club, knocking me senseless.
When I come to, Patrick is gone and I don't know where he is. I'm moved to a different yard, where I don't know anyone.
Months later, I hear a rumour about a guard sent to solitary―punished just like one of us. People say he died in the darkness there. If only I'd accepted my lot in life, my son would still be alive.
[[THE END]]The first person I have a chance to speak to is Esther, and since her daughter is distracted I know it might be my only chance.
'The new guard is my son,' I tell her. 'He's going to get me out of here, and there may be a chance for others to escape at the same time.'
'A chance?' she says. 'Which means there's also a chance it could all go wrong?'
'Well. . . it may not have any effect on you at all. I don't know any details. You're the only person I've told about him so far.'
She gives me a long, thoughtful look, and then walks away, grabbing Becky as she goes.
I notice too late that she's talking to Mr Yohannes. Everyone knows he's sweet on her.
They turn and look at me, and I automatically shake my head, feeling like I've swallowed a barrowful of scrap metal. I watch her betray me, and I don't even try to stop her. It's so shocking it doesn't feel real until it's too late.
Patrick loses his job that day, and I'm moved to another yard. I hear later that Esther and Becky have just been released for good behaviour, and I'm unable to blame Esther for what she did to me.
Becky can grow up in the sunshine, far away from here.
[[THE END]]Patrick and I do not speak again, but I notice Mr Karl possesses a new pocket watch. Days pass, and I do my best to act normal.
It's a Wednesday morning when we're all startled by the creak and clatter of a ladder appearing and unfolding on the prison wall. I look around for Fei Fei, but she isn't close by.
Someone shouts in delight, and runs for the ladder. Suddenly everyone's running, and shoving, and punching and biting one another, trying to find a place on the narrow path to freedom. The guards snap into action and start shooting.
They keep shooting, and shooting, until no one is trying to grab the ladder any more.
I stand by the mulberry tree, silent and broken, and don't take a single step forward. The yard is littered with the dead; prisoners and guards alike. I see Fei Fei and Patrick among them.
No one living knows that my poor choices have killed them all.
[[THE END]]Sleep is impossible. I close my eyes and pretend I'm already home.
It's a torment not knowing how Patrick will effect his rescue. I'm stumbling over my own feet, exhausted and tense.
We circle the mulberry tree, but I eventually notice everyone keeps glancing at the prison's outer wall. The guards notice, and start walking over to us. With a scraping and banging, a metal container appears at the top of the wall and disgorges a ladder that unfolds before our eyes.
The guards grab their guns.
'Run!'
Go to Page 7.
'Stay back! They'll kill us!'
Go to Page 29.
[[7.'Run!']]
[[29.'Stay back! They'll kill us!']]I don't sleep, but at least in the darkness I can let myself smile.
Early the next morning I notice something like a stick or a thick wire hanging over the outer fence. I'm careful not to look at it too closely, but I see others glancing at it, then back at me.
We circle the mulberry tree, but everyone keeps looking at the wall. The guards notice, and start walking over to us. With a scraping and banging, a metal container appears at the top of the wall and disgorges a ladder that unfold before our eyes. It hangs from a thick chain leading all the way up the mountain.
The guards grab their guns.
For a moment no one moves, and then everything happens at once. Women break and run for the ladder. The guards shout and shoot. I run for Patrick, but as I run I see Mr Karl watching me.
He deliberately shoots my son before my eyes. Then he shoots me. It doesn't hurt as much as I expected, even though I know at once I'm dying.
Mr Karl doesn't realise shooting me is an act of mercy. At least Patrick and I have left this place together.
[[THE END]]'You first, Shauna,' says Esther. 'He's your son.'
I hesitate and then obey her, pausing only to grab Fei Fei and drag her along with me. She tries to object but coughs instead, staining the front of her prison gown with fresh blood.
Behind us the guards shout orders, and I hear a gunshot. I run onward, making Fei Fei climb the ladder before me. Other women have followed us, and I hurry upward and then move aside, standing between spikes and slag on the wide top of the wall.
The ladder is attached to an enormous mechanism with a heavy chain leading up into the mountains, and two large metal containers attached to it. Some of the women ignore the chain and leap off the wall into the bushes below, crying out in pain before running or limping away.
I look back in time to see Patrick emerging from a mass of brawling women and guards. He races toward me, and my fellow-prisoners part before him, shouting encouragement.
Then suddenly he's beside me and he unhooks the ladder, leaning it against the wall so more women can use it while the mechanism carries us farther away.
'Follow me!' he grins. Then he climbs hand over hand up the chain and into the second metal container. It's clear the first container is for me.
Save Fei Fei.
Go to Page 27.
Save myself.
Go to Page 10.
[[27.Save Fei Fei.]]
[[10.Save myself.]]It's exactly the wrong thing to say, and I feel a wave of emotion sweep over all of us. Whoever gets to the ladder first will be free, and the rest punished.
'Stop!' says Esther. 'Form an orderly line.'
Unbelievably, people listen to her. Perhaps because she crouches down behind the tree, sheltering Becky with her body rather than trying to get out. Abiona stays with her.
The rest run with me, quickly and carefully climbing the ladder to stand on the jagged top of the wall. It's a perilous perch, but Patrick soon joins us. There's no time for me to embrace my son. The guards are readying their guns.
'This way!' says Patrick, and moves along a chain leading high into the mountains above. There are two enormous metal containers set into the chain, and he climbs into the second and prepares to close the lid.
Ignoring the chain, women leap from the wall to freedom, landing awkwardly on the bushes outside and then racing into the trees.
The other metal container is clearly meant for me.
'Leave me, Patrick! Go!'
Go to Page 41.
Save myself.
Go to Page 10.
[[41.'Leave me, Patrick! Go!']]
[[10.Save myself.]]I shove Fei Fei toward the chain that will lead us to freedom. 'Go! Now! You'll be safe inside the steel container.'
'No! Not without you,' she says.
'Fine!' I say. 'We'll both go. You first.'
She gives a sharp nod and swings out into the air, almost falling as her hands slip on the links of the chain. I follow her as fast as I can. She tumbles into the metal shelter, and I fall on top of her and lower the lid as a bullet plings on the outside.
We both scream as our container shudders into life, but after a moment I'm sure we're going up the mountain. This is it: the moment of our escape.
At last the metal container is still, and someone opens the lid. It's Patrick―and my own Mr O'Connell. For a moment I'm speechless, and then I find myself making introductions as if we're all sitting down to tea.
We're high, high above the prison. Dozens of women are running away into the trees in all different directions. My friends are free, and Fei Fei will recover, and my husband and my son are with me.
I am alive, and well, and at liberty―and I've filled Mrs Dugdale's petition with names.
[[THE END]]I swing out into the air, almost falling as my hands slip on the links of the chain. As I scramble into my metal container, a bullet hits the outside.
The container shudders into life, scaring me, but after a moment I'm sure I'm going up the mountain. This is it: the moment of my escape.
At last the metal container is still, and someone opens the lid. It's Patrick―and my own Mr O'Connell. For a moment I'm speechless, and then I burst into tears.
They embrace me, pulling me out onto the ground at the same time. Everything smells of pine needles. We're high, high above the prison. I hope Fei Fei is one of the women who used the ladder to escape, but I'll never know. That life is behind me now, and I'm grateful.
I am alive, and well, and at liberty―and I've filled Mrs Dugdale's petition with names.
[[THE END]]'I can't!' he says, pointing upward at some hidden accomplice. 'Not until you're in the other pod.'
I glance around at all the women who deserve freedom as much as I do. Fei Fei is beside me, coughing again.
'Get into the metal container,' I tell her, hoping that one prisoner looks much like another to the person operating the chain. 'Do it now, or all of this is in vain.'
She shakes her head, her eyes streaming with tears. I can't tell if they're tears of grief, or pain, or illness. But she does what I say.
I watch as Fei Fei and Patrick are winched up and away from the Female Factory. Hopefully Patrick will forgive me. I know he'll care for Fei Fei as if she's his own sister.
When I'm sure they're safe, I brace for a painful landing and leap off the wall.
It's too far. I feel my leg snap, and I lie helplessly in a prickly bush. The guards will come soon, and I'll be taken back inside.
So be it.
[[THE END]]The crowd of female prisoners explodes in all directions.
Some run for the wall. Some run to save Patrick from the other guards. Others tackle the guards, stealing their guns and giving the rest of us time to escape.
I'm one of the first to the ladder, with Fei Fei. Patrick is only a few steps behind us, and he tells us to get out first.
Soon the three of us are standing on the jagged top of the wall, and Patrick leads us into huge metal containers hanging from a moving chain that leads all the way up the mountain.
It's a cramped and bumpy journey, but when we climb out of the machine the Female Factory is far below, already small with distance.
I can still see the bodies of the women that fought the guards on our behalf. It's too late to help them now, but now that I'm free I secretly wish I'd held my tongue and known my place―just this once.
[[THE END]]'They'll kill us anyway,' shouts someone I don't know, and the crowd of women turns into a mob in an instant.
I crouch down in terror as the women charge at the wall and then fight one another for access to the ladder.
The guards grab their guns and shoot. They don't even need to aim. The more women fall, the more desperate the rest become.I've brought my fellow-prisoners to their deaths, and ruined my own chances of escape.
In the chaos, Patrick finds me.
'I'm so sorry!' he says. 'Whatever shall we do?'
'Get out of here,' I tell him. 'Quickly, before you're discovered. Don't come back. I'll serve my time and see you again one day.'
He squeezes my hand once, tightly, and runs away.
[[THE END]]