Aaron's Rod

On a crisp Christmas Eve just after the war’s end, Aaron Sisson trudges home along a lonely, black‑streaked railway line, his mind still rattling from a heated union meeting. He reaches the modest house he built with his own hands, where his two young daughters burst out, eager to set up a pine tree they’ve salvaged from the garden’s frozen ground. The scene is intimate and stark: a cold yard, a wheelbarrow, a spade, and the simple ritual of coaxing a lopsided tree into a box, all under the watchful eyes of a patient wife who balances sewing, cooking, and a baby’s soft coo.

The narrative captures the quiet resilience of a mining family, juxtaposing the lingering tension of post‑war life with the hopeful glow of holiday lights. As Aaron wrestles with the prickly branches and the weight of his responsibilities, the listener senses both the comfort of home and the undercurrent of a community still finding its footing after conflict.