MY DADDY IS A MINER by Sam Richardson

MY DADDY IS A MINER 

My daddy is a miner. He is very clever. He goes down big holes in the ground and gets black gold out. We put it in our fire and it keeps us warm. 
 
Daddy looks sad tonight. Mummy and him are whispering in the kitchen. They don’t know I’m sat on the bottom stair and I can hear mummy crying. I’m not allowed to be awake this late. I have to get up for school in the morning. My brother is being good. He’s asleep, sucking his thumb like a baby even though he’s five. 

This morning Mummy looks sad and I know she’s been crying because her face is red and she keeps blowing her nose. She’s a bit cross too because my brother is being slow eating his breakfast. She says we have to be extra quick this morning. I don’t know why.

I’m scared going to school today. My friends and their mummy's are shouting funny words and throwing things at us. My brother is crying. I ask mummy what scab means. She says she doesn’t know and makes us run all the way to the school gates. 

I’m sitting on the bottom stair again. I know I’m going to get into trouble. Mummy and Daddy are arguing in the kitchen. Mummy doesn’t want Daddy to go to work. She says it’s too risky. I don’t know what risky means. Daddy says he has to go. I’m scared if Daddy doesn't get the black gold from the ground then we will be very cold. 

Auntie Vi collects us from school today and her face looks very white. I know she’s forgotten to put her makeup on. She always wears makeup and she lets me borrow her lipstick. She says mummy has had to go out for a while so she is looking after us. The nasty people are still throwing stones at us and calling us names.  

Daddy hasn’t come home for ages. There are lots of people in our house today. They are wearing black and eating lots of sandwiches. My brother is crying again. He keeps saying he wants Daddy. I want Daddy, but I don’t cry about it. 

My Daddy was a miner. Mummy says that he has gone to heaven to do a different and very important job. I think heaven must be a very long way away and Daddy must be very busy, because he still hasn't been home for ages. 

© Samantha Richardson February 2024