Wednesday's Words on a Friday



On Wednesdays, Delores, from Under The Porch Light, has a word challenge meme which she calls “Words for Wednesday”.

She puts up a selection of six words which we then use in a short story, or a poem.

I’m hopeless at poetry so I always do a story.

It’s a fun challenge…why not join in?

This week's words are:

1. industrial
2. copious
3. galvanised
4. branch
5. riveting
6. camera

or: 
1. trepidation
2. stagnation
3. depreciation
4. domination
5. acclimatisation
6. corroboration 

I've chosen to include both sets of words, well, the words included themselves, I didn't have much to do with it, they just ran onto the page and settled in. 

Here is my story:

This was to be his very first day, his new beginning. Matt stood looking with a little trepidation at the large industrial complex spanning two city blocks. The company, "SteelCo", produced galvanised steel products in copious amounts. This branch was far, far bigger than the smaller, warehouse sized building Matt had been used to. In that smaller building, known as The Shed, Matt and several other prisoners had learned the cutting, welding, riveting and powder-coating of galvanised steel products, mostly fence panels and gates. 

Working under video camera supervision, he had found the physical exertion, coupled with the delicate placing of components to create something lasting and beautiful, extremely satisfying and began to look forward to his days in The Shed. Here at last was corroboration that his life was worth living. Gone was the stagnation that had threatened to overcome his mind, his life. Gone was the depreciation of his self-worth. Matt had found something worthwhile that he loved to do and had worked hard to learn the skills that would now see his life moving forward. There would be no more of his previous 'break and enter, return to prison' cycle.

Near the end of his last sentence, Warden Kelly had discussed with Matt his plans for the future and then arranged a supervised interview for Matt with Mr Harrison, manager of this big complex. They'd agreed Matt was a suitable candidate, Mr Harrison had been very impressed with the quality of Matt's work, stating his welds were a thing of beauty. 

Matt would start his new job a week after discharge and would be placed in one of the smaller sections doing exactly the same work with just a few other men to ensure his acclimatisation to freedom would go easier. 

The other men were all older, easy going types who had seen several others through this process over the years. They would all work as equals, there would be none of the domination tactics so often rampant in the prison yards. 

Matt swallowed his trepidation, thought instead of a stable job, a steady pay cheque, creating beautiful gates and fences from sheets of galvanised steel. He walked through the gates and headed towards Frank, waiting for him at the canteen entrance to show him to his locker.

Comments

  1. Now there's an uplifting story of hope.

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  2. Hooray for Matt. And for the people who are willing to give the Matts of this world the opportunity to find and prove themselves.

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  3. Refreshing to end on an up-note instead of having Matt go berserk at the last moment and kill all those nice older guys.

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  4. Delores; I do like hope and happy endings.

    Elephant's Child; Most people can see the good in him, he's just been drawn into bad company since his high school years. I can only hope they either stay away now or he is able to resist their tauntings of goody-goody and weakling etc. I have a feeling his new, older workmates will help him out there.

    Marty Damon; I think Matt has outgrown his berserk days and he never was a killer, it just isn't in him.

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  5. That is a wonderful story and one of so much hope.
    I heard on the news today that Twiggy Forrest is looking to employ people who have been in prison and in this case probably aborigines in particular. I thought of him when I read your contribution today. He is a very good man just like the one in your great story.

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  6. Mimsie; I haven't heard much of Twiggy Forest, I'll have to look her up. My story is very loosely based on someone I know.

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