The sweet smell of the fresh plaster filled the room. Troweled on smooth and soft, hardening, a stone rolled before a tomb. He breathed in the scent of his labor and washed and packed his tools. He’d be long gone when the smell of his ungrateful boss overtook the room.

Jozzie Stuchell Velesig is a Harvard-trained writer and founding member of the Story Street Writers. For more information, visit jozziewrites.com or storystreetwriters.com.