Hello @gabmr,
Thank you for reading my story :) I've been thoughtful lately. Life is such a puzzle. You have to wonder, don't you?
I was greatly influenced in my youth by a Spanish writer, Miguel de Unamuno. He, I think, would have appreciated Emin's dilemma. We go through life usually without giving a conscious thought to its finality. And yet that thought is with us, shadowing us. A pile of coal would be a stark reminder, wouldn't it?
I hope you are well.