The Life And Times Of Widow Jackson (SunWE- Description)

  The old Creasy Springs did not exist anymore. It had been a small community of spirited people. The place they sought rest in was a lush valley stretched out like wandering fingers at the feet of the mountain range they'd just crossed. The place was abundant with springs and creeks that dumped into a wild, twisting river. That same river was both a blessing and a curse to the old-timers. The Old Wild River would bloat during Spring rains and get meaner than a betrayed woman. Its revenge could be harsh.

  Though the river killed many, the people stayed because they loved the place. The paths that knitted the countryside together became paved roads. Stores, lumber yards and resturants made the community hum. There was even a post office where the mail was sorted and sent out on mail trucks.

  This was a thriving place, until after the flood of '42. That was when the Tennessee Valley Authority formed with the backing of the government. Plans were made to tame that ol' river. All the landowners were reinbursed for their property and forced to move from the place they were familar with.

 Widow Jackson had lived during that time. She'd witnessed the building of the dam that caused the small town to be flooded forever. I could tell as she spoke of her old homestead that that place had been different. Her wrinkled face transformed soft and tender, as if she was beholding her favored child.

~~~

Rigorous critique welcome

The Prompt

Choose a character you 1) want to write about, or 2) have already created in a piece of yours.

The curtain goes up.  We see the stage set; it’s your character’s living room or bedroom or apartment or similarly revealing living space.  Write a one- or two-paragraph objective description of the room or space. Describe the furniture, knick-knacks, décor, age, state of (dis)orderliness or (dis)repair, pictures, even smells.  Without going into exhaustive detail down to the last dust-bunny, give us a specific and comprehensive enough description that we feel like we know who your character is before she enters.  Do it without making any generalizations about the character (e.g. “Lizzie is a packrat.”)