I flick the flint and flinch at the pop of lighting acetyline. With practiced but still clumsy hands I fiddle with the oxygen flow until the flame is just right. The fire is beautiful, enchanting, a tool of destruction and creation. Creation is wonderful. I create perfection. I can smooth edges, establish perfect symmetry, and line things up for absolute functionality. All around me in my workshop are photos of the great architectural masterpieces of our time. Le Tour d'Eiffel stands strong and straight. The Golden Gate Bridge spans with majesty and grace. Five homes by Frank Lloyd Wright sit peacefully and solidly. So many examples of man-made perfection adorn these walls. Turning to move my current project, I wince, pain shooting up my legs to my back. I fall, like so many times before, the project with me, destroyed on impact. Sitting up and looking over my own twisted legs I survey the destruction. I have to think--the perfect and beautiful things of this world are man-made. 2007-09-24T03:06:45Z http://ficlets.com/feed/story/10088 <p>mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, any cathedral, esp Notre dame, the monuments in DC. man&#38; woman can make wondourus things with their hands, can also destroy. theres a balance. we need facorites, but not pollution. I was born in a city and still love big cities.<br />very good defense of man made.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/10088?basename=13966 2007-09-24T03:06:45Z SKermitgorf http://ficlets.com/authors/kermitgorf <p>I really enjoyed this. I think it was especially effective as a counterpoint to the original piece.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/10088?basename=13949 2007-09-24T01:34:21Z Batak Beatrix http://ficlets.com/authors/batakbeatrix <p>i like this&#8230;and playing devil&#8217;s advocate definitely makes for great writing, this is proof of that.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/10088?basename=13902 2007-09-23T23:31:52Z blueyedwonder http://ficlets.com/authors/blueyedwonder <p>interesting point of view</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/10088?basename=13890 2007-09-23T23:10:33Z emma jo_234 http://ficlets.com/authors/emmaj <p>In a nutshell: most, if not all, ugly or imperfect things on the earth are man-made, but not all man-made things are ugly or imperfect. The Arc de Triomphe, for example: a beauty. Fire-belching, smoke-spewing factories: not so much. (Ok, that&#8217;s a bigger nutshell than maybe I intended, but still)</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/10088?basename=13889 2007-09-23T23:04:57Z Stovohobo http://ficlets.com/authors/stovohobo <p>I agree, those mentioned are beautiful masterpieces of architecture, triumphs of humanity. I meant more the industrial, the stains on the earth that mankind has left behind. After all, they do much more damage than the wonders help, sadly. Anyway, I loved the writing in this and it was a nice viewpoint. Great job.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/10088?basename=13888 2007-09-23T22:59:27Z Stovohobo http://ficlets.com/authors/stovohobo <p>My apologies to Stovohobo. I share his admiration of nature, but just tried this counterpoint as a creative exercise cause the character popped into my head, probably someone I&#8217;ve met at some point or a variation on them.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/10088?basename=13887 2007-09-23T22:49:41Z THX 0477 http://ficlets.com/authors/thx_0477