The Weight Above
Dramabittersweet3 audio scenes
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1 chapter • 3 scenes
Summary
Dr. Eleanor Hayes, a young geologist new to the Welsh mining town of Cwmbach, discovers that the massive coal waste tip looming over Pantglas Primary School sits atop an underground spring—a catastrophic collapse waiting to happen. As autumn rains intensify and the National Coal Board dismisses her warnings as hysteria, she must convince a community bound by company loyalty and economic desperation to evacuate their children before the mountain comes down.
Characters
Dr. Eleanor Hayes
Harold Griffiths
Thomas Morgan
Settings
Tip 7
A black mountain of coal waste looming 111 feet above the valley, its unstable slopes visibly saturated from autumn rains, springs weeping from its base. The tip casts a permanent shadow over Pantglas Primary School below, a physical manifestation of institutional negligence made monument.
NCB Regional Office
Sterile administrative space with polished mahogany desks, filing cabinets holding decades of safety reports, windows overlooking the valley but positioned to avoid direct view of the tips. Everything meticulously organized, surfaces reflecting fluorescent lights that never quite reach the corners.
Story Structure
1
The Complete Journey
Eleanor arrives in Cwmbach to assess tip stability, discovers the catastrophic danger of Tip 7, faces institutional denial and community resistance, and ultimately bears witness to preventable tragedy while learning that speaking truth, even when ignored, remains the only moral path.
1
The Complete Journey - Complete
Eleanor Hayes arrives in Cwmbach to assess tip stability, discovers the underground spring beneath Tip 7, fights against Harold Griffiths's institutional denial and Thomas Morgan's paralysis, and ultimately witnesses the catastrophic collapse that transforms her understanding of moral obligation.
1
The Discovery
Eleanor Hayes arrives at Tip 7 with her geological instruments, drills core samples, and discovers the catastrophic truth—the massive waste tip sits atop an underground spring.
2
The Denial
Eleanor presents her findings to Harold Griffiths at the NCB Regional Office, where her scientific evidence meets institutional denial and bureaucratic dismissal.
- Story ID
- story_Nup_5otbMayMi0Fn
- Created
- December 29, 2025
- Art Style
- realistic (photography)
- Status
- published
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