The Goldsmith and the Stone Pg. 26
The smell of bacon and eggs, hash-browns on the grill and homemade toast crisping in the oven made for a good start to a new day. Goldsmith, hungry from the night before looked forward to his morning coffee and now friends, he’d call them. The small village had a charm that lingered on and more and more the humble abode felt like home. The other miners early to rise were chatting and laughing as they talked of the days ahead. A reserved excitement was in the air as the potential of discovery now knew no bounds. Goldsmith had faithfully gone over his maps, more detailed than ever before. He had a hunch where to explore, now that the foundations were securely set in place. Though flurries of wet snow filled the days previously, the morning skies were bare and sunny. The warm glow was a great reminder that spring was on it’s way. Goldsmith’s thoughts of the new gold vein were interrupted as Black Jack’s bushy eyebrows peared into his as his big burly voice you couldn’t ignore stated, “bacon and eggs, why that’s the smell of success, no matter what yer clothes look like! Right Goldsmith!” He said with a big grin.
Goldsmith stared blankly at Black Jack for a moment. Taking a gulp from his cup, he replied, ” Right! Right! You said it Black!” And they all laughed as their chairs scrapped the dining room floor and the men departed onto the sun filled porch for a days work at the mine.
Snow and ice lingered at the mines new entrance, making it difficult to move equiptment in and out of the entrance. The cat came over to bulldoze some of it away, but the tracks would spin in the snow because they were old and worn. The glare from the sun became a blinding brightness as the miners worked. This made for sore and bloodshot eyes. Each miner blackened their eyes with charcoal to cut down on the glare. Some of the miners worked in their tee-shirts, enjoying the heat of the day.
Goldsmith was inside the entrance. The passage way was now lite with kerosene lamps as he was careful to watch on his way. Some petros loosely held to the sides of the crevasse. He moved his foot absentmindedly one time and watched a large stone fall into the deep dark hole. Black Jack’s bushy eyebrows raised but neither spoke a word as Goldsmith’s mind was deep in thought.
After a days searching, and sore eyes from deep concentration, the miners were ready for a break. The crew outside had already called it a day and were enjoying a late afternoon cup of coffee. Deciding to offer Black Jack and Goldsmith a bit of brew, one of the miners entered the cave with the hot coffee pot. The sun was setting and a glint from it’s force hit the metal pot as a light beam flashed onto the cave wall. A flash just big enough to display a sparkle and marbled metal, shining on the wall. They all froze in amazement as the coffee pot was heard clanking to the rocky floor.