Mercia's Take by Daniel Wiles

Author:Daniel Wiles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Industrial revolution;Black Country;mines;miners;Dudley;Walsall;1870s;Dickens;Cormac McCarthy
Publisher: Swift Press
Published: 2021-12-10T23:02:12+00:00

‌XIII

After Luke was sent to bed, Michael sat fireside tearing up old newspapers and rolling them into flutes.

So am yow to tell me what happened then?

The flutes were placed between the firewall and the ash grate. Then his hands formed a spadelike shape and poked them in.

Yow left me an Luke to clean up that mess.

He gathered the coal bucket. There were only specks of slack that scrummed the bottom. Getting cold, need to buy more, he thought. He scraped up what was left and drizzled it around the paper.

The smoke smoothed up around the coal where the paper was heated from the smoulder before igniting in curls of blue flame.

Am yow listenin?

He reached out and held her hand and sat her down at the table.

I went to the church. The vicar said a praya for us. Then I fount it. Or it fount me. No. He any tests we. Gold’s gone from the mine. That was all of it. I doe see any other way. Cain’s gone but he can be fount. He… Heyull show me how, like He did before.

Jane shook her head. Yow still ay right. Yowm sick. She reached to touch Michael’s forehead. He drew back.

Om gooin, he said.

Inside the bedroom he took a pair of dry trousers patched about the legs and pulled on a woollen coat. A creak. Behind him Luke stirred. Standing over the other side of the room, Michael stared into the dark.

Father?

Juss poppin out, son. Back soon.

By the front door, Jane held his arm and looked up at him with tears standing in her eyes. They looked like wet glass.

We doe need it, she said.

Course we do. No other way.

An how long will it tek yow? Ya doe know. Juss leave it. Juss come and sit down. What about the house an all? Brownhills am to turf us out.

She pulled at his arm. He held her by the cheeks. They were hot, almost steaming.

Oll find him. Doe worry. Oll bring it back. There’s none left in the mine. Nothin left in there for us. Trust me. He needs school. He cor be down there like them other lads.

Yowm talkin stupid.

Know what om doin.

Then, as he reached for the door: Of bin earnin fourpence a week.

He turned to her. What?

Fixin shoes, Jane continued. To pay for his school. She wiped her tears with the back of her fingers.

He knew she was, but still he said, Since when?

Since yow ay bin able to get second work. Again she seized him by the arm. Doe goo. We doe need it. Juss get back on track with ya normal work.

It ay good enough.

Luke needs his father, not money.

He opened the door. She stepped across him, blocking his path.

He could a murdered us whilst we kipped. All three of us. Now yowm gooin after him?

Need to get it back.

Ya doe! Am yow not listenin? We doe need it.

I cor juss let it goo. Not like that. He shook his head. Not like that.

He pushed her aside and stepped out into the night.

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