S. S. Bricks

Down in Sector-71, at plot 426, is where we keep the S. S. Bricks stock. It is a bit different being in a modern sector like this compared to the old village spots, but the physical work is exactly the same. We have a lot of houses and offices going up around here, so there is always someone looking for a load to be delivered. I spend most of my time walking around the site, checking if the stacks are steady and tall. If they lean too much, they might fall, and that is a lot of broken pieces and wasted time for everyone involved. The sun hits this spot really hard in the afternoon. We don’t have much shade, just a small tin roof where we keep the records and a few plastic chairs for when people come to talk. My hands are always covered in that red brick dust, and it never really washes off completely after a shift is done. We aren't trying to be some big corporation. We just sell bricks to whoever needs them. Sometimes the trucks arrive late because of the heavy city traffic, and we have to stay until dark to get them unloaded properly. It’s a bit of a grind, but it’s what we know how to do. People come in with their own small tempos or sometimes they want us to find a local driver for them. We talk about the rain, the rising prices of coal, and how the bricks are firing this season.