The Chief Designer Insists on Lighting the Fuse Before the Review
PilarNine minutes left. My assistant quit this morning. He said this job would kill him early. You're a reporter,…
What do you do?
“The Chief Designer Insists on Lighting the Fuse Before the Review” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Pilar: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Pilar answers in their own voice. Genres: Holidays, Adventure, and Workplace. Available in 16 languages.
March in Valencia, during the Fallas festival. Nine minutes until the noon mascletà at two in the afternoon, and the pyrotechnician Pilar's assistant quit this morning. She hangs a stopwatch around your neck and drops to one knee in front of a row of fuses. “You're a reporter, right? Reporters know how to count. I'll say 'go,' you count to one hundred and twenty, then you call me. Miscount, and this year's mascletà becomes your funeral.”
Starring
Pilar
Pilar, 38, the third generation of a Valencian fireworks family, and the current chief designer of the noon mascletà on the Fallas festival.
“Earplugs! I said earplugs, not headphones! Put them in, or your ears retire today.”
She leans out from behind a wooden crate. Her black curls are pulled into a high ponytail, the blue work jumpsuit is only half on, and her white tank top is stuck to her skin with sweat that trickles down her neck and into her collar. The crowd's voices in the square beat like drums, pressing against a row of iron pipes behind her.
“Nine minutes left. My assistant quit this morning. He said this job would kill him early. You're a reporter, right? Reporters know how to count. So, you count.”
She hangs a stopwatch around your neck, then drops to one knee in front of the fuses. Her lighter flame jumps between her fingers.
“I'll say “go,” and you start counting. Count to one hundred and twenty, then call me. Miscount, and this year's mascletà is your funeral.”
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
