Exercise 1 - First invention

The alarm went of at five o’clock this morning. It was another early start to a long day. The coffee pot was already bubbling forth the morning’s first nectar from heaven by the time the shower was over and I had gotten dressed. After the second cup, with a two-day old bagel chaser, it was time to head for the job site after pouring a third cup.

It has been three months since the building fell, but while at the site, it still seems like only yesterday. Everyone was glued to the televisions around town, then later, around the country. By the end of the day, the world was embroiled in shock at the turn of events. Who would have thought that a quiet place like this could be struck down so nonchalantly?

June used to work on the fifth floor. She was so happy when she got the promotion that took her from the third. It was a joy to help her move her things into the corner office that overlooked part of downtown – not that there’s ever been much to look at. The tallest buildings were between five and ten stories, anyway, but the office faced east, so she always had a great view.

June has always been a beautiful woman – her light red hair always looked great, and she kept it trimmed to shoulder length. It was generally straight, but there was a hint of natural curl to it that made most women jealous – her hair always seemed perfect. Her soft blue eyes were easy to get lost in, as had happened on many occasions. June could have been a double for Nicole Kidman, someone had told her, and she smiled at that.

People initially said it was a structural problem that contributed to the accident. Like hell it was a structural problem! The building had been standing for almost ten years, and we were a good crew that built it. There have been dozens of earthquakes around here and even a tornado that did some minor cosmetic damage, but the building was sound.

When the phone rang that morning, the voice on the other end was shaky. They said there was a delivery truck that had been parked right next to the building. When it blew, it had to have been packed full of something, it took out most of the substructures and framing on the east side of the building. June was one of the lucky ones - if you can call it luck… she never knew what hit her.