Belonging to the Iceman

Getting Noticed Worldwide and Making Enemies Along the Way

Shantelle walked into her workshop with a smile on her face.

She had a new client base, and several people had asked for a quote on gravestones since she had carved a few monuments for some wealthy people in Brisbane. Her work was now in the old but massive Toowong Cemetery.

"Morning, Miss Shantelle!" Came a cheerful voice.

She pulled the sheet covering a large monument, and as it drifted to the ground, a large, rearing white marble horse could be seen.

"Morning Jack!" She said happily, selecting the right chisel.

She had almost finished the horse that would be a monument for a little five-year-old girl who was tragically killed; her family was well respected in Brisbane and wanted to give her a proper goodbye.

"That is looking beautiful Shantelle!" He said, admiring the glistening white marble horse "the girl's family will be very grateful for such beautiful work!"

"Thanks, Mate! She loved horses and was quite a rider, considering she was only five years old," She said, gently touching up the horse's front legs. They still looked a bit bulky.

"What made you get into stonemasonry?" He asked, leaning up against one of the workbenches with his arms folded, watching her work.

Shantelle gently chiselled away at the horse's front right hoof.

"It calms me, and plus, it's good money, especially considering wealthy families will pay big money for a monument with class, and that will last!"

"But considering all the pollution and smog from the traffic in Brisbane, wouldn't it eventually just, you know, fall apart?" Jack asked, confused.

She gave him a smug look and said "One, Jack Ryan, it's way up in Portion 22, now that for starters is the most expensive part in the whole cemetery. A plot alone would put you and me into debt for over ten years and two, marble lasts, trust me, why do you think I chose it as the stone to use?"

He smiled and said "well, I think it is your best piece yet Shantelle! Have you put it up on your website yet?"

She had moved onto the mane, almost finished the horse.

"Not yet Jack! I never put the finished piece up before the burial," She said, checking over the base stone with the little girl's epitaph. "It's sad you know?"

"What's sad?" He asked.

"How this little girl's life is over, even before it really began." Shantelle said, "I've done a few monuments, headstones, and the stone base on plaques but this is just heartbreaking" looking up at the horse. It stood at a massive two metres. "I mean here stands a beautiful statue of a rearing horse when it shouldn't be here at all! A little girl should still be on this earth riding her pony!"

Jack gave her a sympathetic look and said, "unfortunately that's the way life goes, Miss Jacobs"

Maranello, Italy Ferrari Headquarters

"You call THIS the Prancing Horse?" Luca snarled at a shaking Italian Stonemason as he looked at the horrible, badly carved sandstone horse with nothing but pure disgust "the horse looks like it's just tried to rear up and fallen over! And why on EARTH would you...wait a minute is one of the horse's legs cracked? THIS must go at the front gates, and where's the other one? I specifically asked you to carve two, not one...WELL? ANSWER ME!! YOU MUTE IDIOT?!"

"I'm sorry Mr Cordero di Montezemolo, I tried so hard. Maybe if you give me a little more time...."

Luca practically exploded, "MORE TIME??!? GET OUT!"