The Porcelain Bird

Text 1: Hairline, by Dominic Vale

An original short story extract.

Leila carried the porcelain bird along the corridor with both hands. It weighed less than a teacup, yet her arms ached as if she were holding a paving stone. Beneath its painted feathers lay three weeks of her work: the repaired wing, the matched colour, the hair-thin join she had checked under every lamp in the workshop.

The museum committee waited at the far end of the room. Four people behind a polished table. Four closed folders. Four faces giving nothing away. Leila placed the bird beneath the inspection light and withdrew her hands too quickly. A pale print of sweat remained on the black cloth.

‘Tell us what you did,’ said the chair.

Leila knew the answer. She had written it, revised it and spoken it aloud to an empty workshop. Now the details crowded together at the back of her throat. ‘The wing was—’ Her voice caught. Nobody moved. The inspection lamp hummed.

Then the chair leaned forward, not towards Leila but towards the bird. She turned it gently, bringing the repaired side into the light. For one long moment, the join shone silver. Then it vanished among the feathers. The chair’s mouth lifted at one corner.

Leila began again. This time, the words arrived in their proper order. When she finished, she discovered that her hands were resting open on the table.

How does Dominic Vale use language and structure to show Leila’s nervousness while her work is being inspected?

You should use relevant subject terminology to support your answer.