The Engineer’s Thumb: History

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Title: The Engineer’s Thumb: History
Author: gardnerhill                        
Word Count: 60                     
Rating: G
Warning: None
Summary: So no one is doomed to repeat it.

***

Granddad folded paper into snowflakes at Christmas, and birds that flapped their wings when you pulled the tail. He laughed, said it exercised both his hands.

But when my employer promised a very large bonus for a shady job, Grandad put his foot down. “Let me tell you, Jonah,” he said, holding up his four-fingered hand, “how I lost this.”

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I imagine Jonah made the right decision afterwards.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

One can only hope.

[debriswoman]

Good to see the benefit of his adventures, and the possibility of a life well lived.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Human beings are amazingly resilient - and Victor isn't going to let a missing digit keep him from doing his work (or tickling his baby daughter and then grandson).

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Yes, somebody, please, learn from this. Though perhaps it should take a couple of generations as quite a few of Holmes's other clients never learned the lesson.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

I can only hope Jonah manages to avoid becoming a member of The Gull Club (https://archiveofourown.org/works/11502744).

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It's a lovely twist on Holmes' words at the end of ENGR - Victor's experience indirectly being of value. And it's lovely to think of him having a happy life and having a family.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Takes more than a brutally-amputated digit to stop most Victorians - considering how dangerous farm, seafaring and factory work were.

[alafaye]

Ha!

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

"For God's sake, kid," snaps Grandad, "at least learn from your FATHER'S mistake!"

Victor Jr. waved at his father and his son, his head still snug under his left arm.

[mafief.livejournal.com]

And hopefully Jonah listened...

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Well, after his father woke up in that hotel in a bathtub full of ice and his kidney missing...