TROUBLE AT T’MILL
When the
mill-race dried up and the wheel stopped turning, the mill-stones couldn’t
grind flour and the entire village went hungry.
“That’ll
be His Lordship’s bloody lake,” said Chalky Miller, “I knew that dam would be a
disaster.”
A week
later the flow still hadn’t been restored, so Chalky and some villagers
dynamited the dam. What they
hadn’t accounted for was the weight of a million gallons of water. The flash flood
spun the wheel so fast that sparks flew from the mill-stones, the flour dust
ignited, and the mill burned.
The
villagers stood by helpless, hungrily breathing in the scent of baking bread.
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A bit of light-hearted story-telling this week as an antidote to last week!
Thanks are due to https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/ for hosting Friday Fictioneers, and to Piya Singh for the photo prompt. Do follow the link from Rochelle's blog to read how other writers interpret the photograph.
Oh dear. Were they swept away?
ReplyDeleteNot this time, Helen - this was not a totally tragic tale!
DeleteOh this sounds like one of this cases where it went from bad to worse... I have a feeling that there is never going to be bread again.
ReplyDeleteUnless the villagers are resourceful enough to rebuild - and aren't evicted by a vengeful Lord of the Manor!
DeleteVery vividly described scene, with irony and humor to spice up the disaster.
ReplyDeleteGreat description here:
'The flash flood spun the wheel so fast that sparks flew from the mill-stones, the flour dust ignited, and the mill burned.
The villagers stood by helpless, hungrily breathing in the scent of baking bread.
-----------------------------------------
Glad you enjoyed it, Vijaya!
DeleteI love the way this tale escalated. :)
ReplyDeleteThaks Sandra - this was one of those stories that almost wrote itself.
Deletewell that would have been terrifying
ReplyDeletehttp://obliqview.blogspot.in/2016/06/the-man-whowrote-diary-he-looked-at.html
So I would imagine, iba.
DeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteThat last line with the smell of baking bread was a killer. Very well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle - it probably seemed that way to the villagers too.
DeleteGreat one!
ReplyDeleteWhen passion leads the way logic goes out the door.
Tragedy usually ensues.
Passion and Logic must go hand in hand to achieve thoughtful action!
In other words, look before you leap!
DeleteThey should have used their loaf!
ReplyDeleteGROAN!!
DeleteNicely done, Liz!
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan.
DeleteSounds like a string of poor decisions on behalf of all parties involved. I love the name Chalky Miller (a pun there, I suppose). Very entertaining story.
ReplyDeleteThe name has been used for millers in England for centuries, so I can't take credit for it.
DeleteA LOL
ReplyDeleteYou liked it, then?
DeleteHilarious, the progression of mishaps based on bad decisions was a hoot. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ga - glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteA pretty bad day for the villagers, then. Talk about the domino effect. A sadly funny story.
ReplyDeleteAll His Lordship's fault, of course.
DeleteLove the name Chalky Miller and how it works so many ways in the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks CK - it was the only one to use!
DeleteUh oh, that didn't quite work out. No more baked bread for them. Oh, how very sad. Great story, Liz.
ReplyDelete