Salt Mining in Bavaria

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The 26 eclectic-genre short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by

novel character Gahlen, who first appeared in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a complete, stand-alone tale.

By Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9600537

Salt Mining in Bavaria

Genre: Fiction – Brotherly Love

(389 words)

Herman started at the mine in early spring. He had taken the old buckboard to check out job openings and got hired on the spot. I didn’t follow until after harvest season on the farm.

“With me starting earlier, Baldwin,” he told me, “you have to work hard to catch up.”

The mine that hired us wasn’t as large as Salzbergwerk Dürrnberg. But the job still took some getting used to. Before heading underground, we pulled on coveralls and adjusted helmets on our heads for safety. Someone made roll call before each shift.

The most fun was getting to the work area. We sailed on a saddlecloth cushion down a track, like a backyard slide. Once underground, we placed magnetic markers by our names to show accounting. We removed the markers at end of shift. Miners who forgot were docked pay.

Our shifts went Monday morning to noon Saturday. The job didn’t take much thought, just lots of muscle chiseling away at salt walls. The chiseled salt was hauled to the solution chamber where it got turned into brine. Finally, it was processed at the Sudhäuser, a salt house in town.

Forklifts and other machinery did much of the heavy work. Neither of us knew how to operate them, having used only work horses on the farm. Herman complained about not being allowed to run the machines but I was content chipping salt.

After three years, Herman grew bored and requested a change. Soon we were both promoted to the Sudhäuser. The job was still exhausting, but we received more pay. With most expenses covered, we sent half our money back to the farm.

A riveted-metal salt pan shaped like a horseshoe hung from the ceiling of the salt house, supported by brick columns. We heated brine in that pan until the water evaporated and the white salt turned to crystals. Every couple of hours, we emptied the salt into huge cone-shaped holders and packed it down to form plugs. Someone else dragged the plugs to baking ovens for drying.

We spent six years in the Sudhäuser before Herman declared Bavaria’s economy would never improve. He wanted to experience more from life. He always knew when to move on. Soon we were sailing the Atlantic toward the new world.

I sure was grateful Herman always let me tag along.

*****

Horrors of War #AtoZChallenge

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The 26 eclectic-genre short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by
novel character Gahlen, who first appeared in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a stand-alone tale - partly true, partly fiction.

Albert Reich [Public domain]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AlbertReich_(1881–1942)_–_Sanitäter_(WW_I).JPG

HORRORS of WAR – PROVINCE OF PRUSSIA

Genre: European Conflict

(326 words)

“When Austria decided the June, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife required political retaliation,” Georg continued, “it opened the gates of hell. By July they had a lengthy list of intentionally unacceptable demands. They presented them on 23^rd July and succeeded to provoke war. Countries drew up sides, some decisions based on results of past wars. Along with so many of my countrymen, I was conscripted into the battle at age eighteen.”

He paused a moment before continuing.

“The deaths I witnessed were many. Destruction of property and forests was unimaginable. So many of us were young farm boys suddenly conditioned to become fighting soldiers. Even after lengthy field training, we remained mostly inexperienced. Some considered their new role romantic; others glorified the expected outcome. But none of us were prepared for what came.

“The personal discomfort I experienced occurred when both sides started to use poison gas. Our unit was exposed to the sulfur mustard spray multiple times. It smelled like rancid horseradish but burned like white-hot fire. Those unlucky enough to get caught unaware with their arms and necks exposed immediately showed signs of blistering. Medics were unable to keep up with the injuries, unprepared for the instant devastation, and several men were hospitalized.”

“I managed to stay fairly well covered all the time.” He rolled up one sleeve of his shirt, drawing attention to a faded patch of scaring. “That’s how I avoided the worst effects. My caution only served to keep me on the front lines of the war longer, drawing the poisonous air deep into my lungs.

“Shortness of breath from inhaling the gas became a problem that haunted me later. Eventually, my lungs would not work properly. That is why I could no longer work in the local coal mines. Maybe there was more moisture in the Bavarian salt mines, allowing me to continue working below ground. Mere speculation, and small comfort from the memories of war.”

*****

J is for JUSTIFIABLY EQUAL TO HOLMES?

For this year's challenge, my theme is The Fun in Writing. Each of my 26 posts for April is aimed at
illustrating fun parts of an author's day. A writer doesn't only write.
Creating a story or an essay requires research, revision, editing, and lots and lots of coffee and chocolate.



J is for JUSTIFIABLY EQUAL TO HOLMES?

 

Could my title for today's post be more cryptic? (I'll explain below.) Matching posts to alphabet letters sometime feels like trying to strike a Kama Sutra pose, lots of angling.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice is the 33rd book on my list of 71 books to read by October, 2016. Setting goals is another of those fun activities that writers enjoy.

 

During the writing process, my goal's outline looks something like this:

1. Write 2k words per day
2. Do not edit while writing
3. When falling short on words, reset goal to catch up tomorrow 

My latest reading goal, on the other hand, is much more fun. By setting the goal  to read 71 books in 12 months, I've given myself permission to spend a lot of time reading for enjoyment. The second part of this goal, to "write a review" for each book, helps me to keep writing without running out of ideas.

You won't experience writer's block if you have

several different writing projects in the works.

 

When you're at a loss for words with the novel, skip over to the book review project or the next blog post; or write a poem.

The title of this post refers to Mary Russell, a character in The Beekeeper's Apprentice. The author created Russell with the brain power and deductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes. I believe the novel proves that Russell is justifiably equal to Holmes. Have you read the book? If so, would you more likely give a negative or an affirmative answer to the "J" question?

 

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King

(my review for Goodreads)

Laurie R. King is scheduled to be Toastmaster at the 2017 Left Coast Crime Conference: Honolulu Havoc. During a discussion about the conference and the author, a library assistant at Makiki Community Library in Honolulu recommended The Beekeeper’s Apprentice to me. I was hooked by the “Editor’s Preface” in which King sets an inviting stage. 

The Preface gives the reader an opportunity to transition from the preconceived idea of reading the author’s story to the delightful idea of immersing ones’ self in an early 20^th century memoir. I was eager to suspend disbelief and enjoy the tale as experienced by narrator and co-protagonist, Mary Russell, during her formative years. That those formative years were spent under the tutelage of none other than the inimitable Mr. Sherlock Holmes only emphasizes the sheer pleasure presented to the reader. 

The opening sentence of the synopsis explains the book’s title:

“In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees

when a young woman literally stumbles into him on the Sussex Downs.” 

 

The book’s contents are labeled Books One, Two, Three, and Four. The stories cover several years of Mary’s early life and describe her interaction with Mr. Holmes. They collaborate on several cases, including a through-line investigation, after he discovers and is impressed with the intellect of the fifteen-year-old “gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned girl.” 

The feistiness of this young lady, along with her eccentric thoughts, mode of dress, and sympathetic history, endeared Mary Russell to me from the first chapter. The author’s ability to incite reaction from the reader with succinct emotional description and colorful passages had me laughing, frowning, and cringing in turns.

 

In my opinion, reading such a well-written book as The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is a better learning experience for a writer than participating in a creative writing course. And more fun!