The slab of ice was taller than me, and I swallowed nervously before selecting my tools.

The camera in the corner of the cold room had its red light blinking away steadily, and I knew that the whole world was watching me.

When I’d woken up here hours before, I had tried pleading with my captors, even trying to use the chisel to break my way out. However, my kidnapper was smart, and turned the lights off every time I tried anything.

The voice was robotic, but the instructions were clear.

“Swan, please.”

There’s no clock in here, but I feel like I’ve been here for hours, and even though I’ve never touched a single one of these contraptions before.

I pick up the smaller one first, gently tapping at the monolith of clear intimidating ice.

I made a blocky outline first, and began trying to figure out the dimensions before chipping away the background.

A beak emerged, and I stopped because my hands were frozen.

A pair of gloves and a warm drink came through a hidden hatch and I took a break before donning them and continuing.

Eventually I ended up with a somewhat curved neck and began on the body, hoping the whole thing wouldn’t break.

There, an outline. If you squint, it looks live a bird of some sort.

I must’ve worked for hours, chiseling details untill my hands were raw and had welts.

Eventually I threw my tools down. “There, a swan!” I shouted.

The door gently opened. I ran towards it before stopping.

Another big block of ice in a frosty room, this time with a key right in the middle.