The Phoenix, 2022

Industrial Revolution by Preston Burton The exhausting and tireless work never seemed, constantly hearing fellow workers screaming out in agony. The toiling work of another 14 hour day in the factory was really starting to take a toll on my physical and mental health. I had already developed a consistent cough, and my arms would feel as if they were about to fall off by the time I was done for the day. It could’ve been worse though. Some of my coworkers had lost their jobs because of lost fingers and irreplaceable injuries from the work that they did. I had only recently been transferred from a water-powered factory because of lost fingers and irreplaceable injuries from the work that they did. It was a typical sight to find a young child to be missing an entire arm before they even hit puberty. After work, my mom would ask, “What’s new today honey?”

I would often reply, “Another day, another injury from another worker. The usual.”

She answered, “Man, how can they keep doing this to these poor kids. It’s not right, it’s just not right.”

“I know mom, but we need the money. We can’t pay rent if me and dad quit and took time off. We just can’t afford it right now.”

“I know, I know. But I still can’t get over the fact that your children might have to live through the same thing.

“Welp, it is what it is. Only a few more months and we can move to a bigger and better house ya know.”

“Not if your father gets hurt. You know he pulls in most of the money.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. Have a little faith mom.

She was always thinking about balancing finances and how we were going to pay the bills for rent. I never really thought about it too much though. I always did my part at work and we made it from month to month as long as my dad did what he was supposed to do. He had recently gotten moved to one of the most notoriously dangerous factories in Great Britain. People that were transferred there usually didn’t last more than a few weeks, and if they stayed, they never left the same.

Sometimes people even died on the job because of the metal particles infiltrating their lungs. The worst part is, my dad’s cough had gotten 62