The Weight Above
DramaAnguish3 audio scenes
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1 chapter • 3 scenes
Summary
When mining engineer Sarah Davies discovers a catastrophic flaw in the coal waste tip looming over her Welsh village, she must fight against corporate denial, community complacency, and her own family's mining legacy to prevent a disaster that could bury an entire generation.
Characters
Thomas Pritchard
Sarah Davies
Elwyn Morris
Settings
The Coal Waste Tip
A 111-foot mountain of coal slag looms over the valley, black against gray Welsh sky, perpetually seeping water from underground springs. Its surface shifts visibly after rain, cracks spreading like veins across unstable slopes that tower above the village school and terraced houses below.
The NCB Regional Office
A post-war concrete building with fluorescent lights and linoleum floors, where framed safety certificates line corridors leading to Thomas Pritchard's windowed office. Filing cabinets contain decades of inspections, each report written in careful passive voice that transforms risk into acceptable practice.
Story Structure
1
The Discovery
Sarah Davies completes her geological survey of the coal waste tip and discovers catastrophic instability, forcing her to confront the choice between professional integrity and the institutional loyalty that defines her community.
1
The Discovery - Complete
Sarah completes her geological survey discovering catastrophic tip instability, presents her findings to supervisor Thomas Pritchard who dismisses her warnings, and faces her father Gwilym's demand that she stay silent to protect valley jobs.
1
The Final Measurement
Sarah completes her geological survey of the coal waste tip, confirming water saturation levels that make collapse inevitable within weeks.
2
The Performance of Transparency
Sarah presents her catastrophic findings to supervisor Thomas Pritchard, who dismisses her warnings and files her report away with decades of similar buried truths.
- Story ID
- story_WTfW8CFgLF3NQxB0
- Created
- December 28, 2025
- Art Style
- realistic (photography)
- Status
- published
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