It’s been a busy summer with not much chance to take another walk through the woods. I did write this 100-word tribute to a friend who was born to a mining family.
“Smile, Grandma!”
“Get that thing outen my face.”
“C’mon. All your grandkids want to see you.”
“I’m still livin’ in the same house.”
“Most can’t afford to travel so far.”
“Shouldn’t’ve left the place they were born, then. Nothing wrong with it.”
“Except there’s no jobs.”
“Plenty of jobs. Just lazy people who don’t want to work.”
Meredith sighed. “We can’t all work the mines, Granny.”
“Good enough for your grandpap.”
“Who died from Black Lung, remember?”
“Balderdash. Old fart wouldn’t stop smokin’ cigars his whole life.”
“Forget it, Merry,” said Thomas. “Some old dogs you can’t teach anything.”
Most soul-crushing jobs kill you early. Coal mining takes its time.
Genie in a Box: Words and thoughts from Eugenia Parrish, Author 
Great atmosphere created in this tale.
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Thank you! I’m so thrilled that so many of you felt I had created a sense of place or atmosphere. It’s very encouraging.
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Excellent characterization, I can ‘see’ Granny sitting there and speak. There’s so much in this story, excellent.
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Thank you! I really like it when a writer makes a character vivid through their writing and try to do it myself. So glad you like this one.
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Wonderful use of dialogue to tell the story.
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Thank you! It’s my favorite way to move the story along.
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I really enjoy it, too. 🙂
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Great dialogue. I love learning about characters through what they say. Mining was and is tough. Somehow, it’s of a past time.
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Thank you 🙂 It’s probably my favorite form of “exposition”; I’ve even thought I should try writing a play, but can’t seem to come up with an idea for a compelling story through dialogue alone.
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There’s one out there waiting for you
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Dear Genia,
It sounds like Granny’s in denial. Well developed character through dialogue.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. I really appreciate your feedback.
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I have nothing but respect for miners. A hard hard way to make a living
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A hard way to die. Thanks for reading.
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