Responding to Ann’s Challenge

The challenge wants to know, “What happens in this house?” What happens is only the beginning.

I see the picture of this tiny brick house and I clearly recall the little house near a truck garage my son, Jason worked at years ago in McKean County, Pennsylvania. It, too, is made of brick. If this house could talk people would be amazed of how it come to be. I don’t know what the owner’s name is and I won’t say which city it is in. My facts may be a bit off, I don’t even know the years in question, my guess would be the 60s, but it is a true story. I thought it to be an interesting little tale. There are many ambitious people in this world with goals and ideas that are unheard of, many never get told. Perhaps not mentioning things to the next generation because we don’t think it important enough to tell is where we go wrong. Wouldn’t it be fun to have the whole story and not just bits and pieces?

As the story goes..........

A man lived in a house much bigger than he thought he needed. His lot was big enough to add another residence with room for each to have a good size yard. He worked at a local business that made brick. He comes up with a grand idea to build his own brick house. The man begins to stack brick at the edge of the lot. Each day he brought bricks home in his dinner bucket. Only one or two at a time was never missed from an order so he was given permission to take them free of charge. They did not think him serious when he told them of his plan. As he got enough brick for a wall, he began to assemble his new house. It reminded me of the Johnny Cash song, “One Piece at a Time”. This could be where the man that built the brick house got the idea from. The song tells a story of building a car, one piece at a time.

I don’t know how many years went by. It had to have been several. Just collecting the brick, a couple at a time would have been like drawing molasses. And waiting to build the house as enough brick became available to do so must have required a great amount of time.

When the house was done, it allowed the man to move in and rent out the bigger house. Surely the profit he made from his rental helped cover the cost of building his brick house. The brick and labor may have been free, no doubt the other materials were not.

Everyone and Everything have a Story Behind Them

Everyone and everything have a story behind them. So many times, we see things differently than they are. To see this little house, nobody would ever know of the story behind its being. It is a cute little house on a pleasant street. And its owner got it one piece at a time.

Each old house we see can be a great story starter. How old is it? Who lives there? Who has lived there? Facts or fiction? It is up to us to decide. The picture of the little brick house got my mind wandering back to a story I never thought I would want to write about. My son told me what he was told. This was over a decade ago and many gaps are missing in the real story. A good memory would be helpful. No wonder our own history gets out of focus.

One Piece at a Time

© 2018 Diana L Pierce

Comments

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on February 01, 2020:

Thank you, Arthur Russ. I am pleased you enjoyed my story.

Arthur Russ from England on January 30, 2020:

I was intrigued by the use of the word ‘brick’ in the title, because it’s so un-British to describe a house as a brick house when virtually all homes in the UK are built of brick. Therefore the word ‘brick’ caught my attention and I was curious to read your story, and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the moral of the story.

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 19, 2018:

Thank you, Tim. I need to find determination like this to complete some of my own goals.

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 15, 2018:

Thank you, Ann. I appreciate your feedback. I was glad to have something to inspire me to get back to writing something.

Ann Carr from SW England on October 15, 2018:

Sorry to have taken so long to get to this, Diana, and thank you for taking up the challenge, adding your slant to it.

It must have taken determination, patience and dedication to a dream for that man to have built his house in that way. Inspirational.

I have added your link.

Ann

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 10, 2018:

Venkatacharie M, I am glad you like my hub. Thanks for the feedback. It is appreciated.

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 10, 2018:

Thank you, Tim. I need to find determination like this to complete some of my own goals.

Venkatachari M from Hyderabad, India on October 09, 2018:

Nice story. The story is very inspiring leaving the message that anything can be achieved with some small contributions done daily to the achievement of the goal. It shows the power of determination and the willpower.

Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on October 09, 2018:

Loved it, Diana,

This is a clear expression of how planning and having a goal can produce incredible results. Even if it came out of a challenge, the story reminds us to challenge ourselves.

Great article.

Much respect,

Sincerely,

Tim

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 09, 2018:

Thank you, Rodric. Yes, it does have a lesson. We can achieve anything given enough patience.

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 09, 2018:

Thank you, Rinita Sen. I am glad you like it. I had nearly forgot about it until I saw this writer's challenge.

Rodric Anthony from Surprise, Arizona on October 09, 2018:

Thanks for sharing. This teaches an important lesson that if we take on our goals a little bit at a time as we are able we can complete them. That is how I see it anyway.

Rinita Sen on October 08, 2018:

This is a great story of persistence and determination, and what makes it more interesting is that it is true! Glad you decided to share this.

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 08, 2018:

Thank you, Jodah. I love stories like this, it must be why I remember them.

John Hansen from Queensland Australia on October 08, 2018:

Love the story of the man who had the drive and patience to collect the bricks and build this house over what must have taken years. Maybe he did get inspiration from the Johnnie Cash song “One Piece at a Time”, and thanks for including that. I love it.

Diana L Pierce (author) from Potter County, Pa. on October 08, 2018:

Thank you, Verlie. I thought so, too.

Verlie Burroughs from Canada on October 08, 2018:

Diana, what a thoughtful expression of the ingenuity of the working man. Love the Johnny Cash.