2697. Winter warmth © Bruce Goodman 17 April 2023

Euphemia was getting on in years. She was a widow who lived alone, but she was doing quite well. With the recession, which no government would admit to, things were getting a little harder. Winter was on the way. Euphemia had a wood burner that she could cook on and keep the house warm at the same time. It was a great money saver in these difficult times. However, firewood was expensive. Euphemia decided to bite the bullet. She needed several hundred dollars for enough firewood to last the winter. She would skimp on food for several weeks until she had saved enough. She did that and phoned the firewood merchant. “Just leave the pile of wood at the gate,” she said. The business of stacking the wood in the shed was a laborious one for Euphemia at her age. She would be patient. She would put a few bits of wood in the wheel barrow at a time. It would be slow work but she would get there in the end. But first she must tidy the woodshed at the back of the house. It took her several hours. And now to start! She wheeled the barrow out to her gate. Someone had pinched all her wood. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story