My daddy was a good man, who lived life on the edge. And boy, did he let me feel it sometimes. The edge of his tongue... the edge of his belt. I deserved some of that. You know what they say about Downriver kids; break your window, and break your heart. And I sure broke plenty of both.

Anyway, my daddy lived on the edge, and at the end I saw him get pushed clean over it. It was all because of that goddamn machine.

I dunno how they managed to get that thing out from under the noses of them up at the big house. All I know is they brought it to my daddy to fix; and he fixed it up good. Next thing you know, he's purifying water for the neighbourhood, cooking up medicines for the sick kids on the block. Soon people were calling in at our house with jobs for him, every hour of the day and night--my mommy moved in with her sister next door just so she could get some peace and quiet. But we were all proud of him. A lot of it wasn't what you'd call "legal", but in our part of town, what is? Anyway, we figured it was more honest work than turning stuff into gold for people with too much gold already.

My daddy... he'd had trouble with the drink, a long time ago. They call it a habit, but it's more like a worm. Something that burrows into your gut, eats you from the inside out. We all thought he'd killed it. But... well, that machine can make a lot of stuff. And by some accident, one day it made booze. Real strong stuff, not watered down like they got down at the Three Bald Nuns. He used to taste everything he made, just to make sure it was safe. All it took was a taste.

This time, the worm ate him til there was nothing left. It happened so quickly. When it was all over, I buried him out on the mudflats out in the bay, where he'd have a full view of the harbour when the sun comes up every day. He used to love that sight. 

What? No, I didn't keep the machine. I smashed the fucking thing, hurled it into the river. Good fucking riddance. Kept the marbles, though. Gave 'em to the kids, just to make 'em happy. It's what my daddy would have wanted.