This piece was written for the Six Sentence Challenge, with the prompt word of ‘eruption’. Gone for a creative non-fiction approach on this one.
Mount Tambora is a volcano on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia and in 1815 it produced the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded human history.
The ash from the eruption column dispersed around the world and in 1816 lowered global temperatures in an event sometimes known in the Northern Hemisphere as ‘The Year Without A Summer’.
Charles Dickens was aged four at the time and a Little Ice-Age affected London for several years afterwards.
Although he didn’t write A Christmas Carol until 1843, the childhood memories must have come flooding back as he started his work.
Ironically, Dickens main motivation was to expose British social attitudes towards poverty, particularly child poverty, but the story ended up creating an enduring middle class vision of feasting, roaring fires and Christmas carols.
In that sense, it seems that eruptions could be far more aptly called disruptions, in a world where the only constant revolutions are the spinning of the Earth that the meek are yet to inherit.
Six Crooked Highways 
Doug. Keep writing like this, man. Informative, contemplative. I’m enjoying the “well rounded’ words capped with thinly veiled cynicism. On second thought, we need the balance provided by your wacky, humorful Sixes as counterpoint!
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Thanks, Denise (I think). Will do my best to balance laughter with jaundice. 🙂
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While i realized that Dickens “invented” Christmas as we now seem to expect it to be, i hadn’t connected it to the Year Without a Summer.
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Interesting! I had no idea, though I’d heard about cold temps in London and The Thanes freezing over (Thank you, Dr. Who!).
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Would one of those Thanes been the Thane of Cordor? 🙂
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Ugh! Did I mis-spell Thames?!?
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Yup 🙂
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Eruptions do seem like something that would be disruptive.
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I do like this new side of you, Doug, although I miss the chuckles.
And I agree it’s time the meek got off their idle asses and hanged a few politicians.
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Thanks, CE, although I suspect writers like you and me would the next on the gibbet. 😉
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A cold dark ash grey summer? Even in grim dour London, not flash.
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No, indeed, although I’m not sure how they were able to tell. 😉
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Beautifully written. Solemn and informative today, Doug, but with your trademark irony and social comment neatly slipped in. (PS I sometimes wonder what the meek would do with the earth…)
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Many thanks, Jenne. All play and no work makes Jacquier a dull boy. As to your question, they’d probably sell it for some trinkets and beads and some Big Macs and a lifetime Netflix subscription. 😉
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We tend to associate eruption with upheaval, a violent outburst or discharge. Something happening immediately.
The tiny disruptions that seem like a pin prick today may prove to be far more explosive and consequential far into the future.
(a wee mind comment) 🙂
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You realise of course that eruptions start off with the flap of a butterfly wing. 🙂
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the creak and crack of the cocoon before the flap ……
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Interesting and informative. I’ve learned something today!
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Always a bonus, Keith. 🙂
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Interesting post, Doug.
I remember there being ice-skating on the Thames at one time (although I’m probably getting my times all mixed up again… would they have had ice-skates in the early 1800s? Hmmm…); I never gave a volcanic eruption a thought as to how that was possible. It makes perfect sense.
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They certainly did have ice-skating by the 1800’s, Tom, but it turned out 1814 was the last time it would occur, because the building of London Bridge and the embankments changed the flow of the river. Bloody unromantic engineers. 🙂
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Nice one Doug✨ eruptions turned into disruptions ✨😉Informative too.
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Many thanks, Simon.
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I had a hard time with the cue…you did not!! Great job
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Many thanks, UP.
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Oh I always love your stories, Doug–and this one didn’t disappoint; I appreciated the history lesson, and any mention of Dickens has to be good: Hope you’re keeping well 🙂
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Many thanks, Staarlz. I remain reasonably well-preserved in red wine and aged cheddar. Thank you for asking. 🙂
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Sounds delicious 🙂
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🙂
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Very interesting bit of history. I wonder if we had an eruption like that now, would it produce cooler temps worldwide or trap the heat in (not that I want to find out).
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My amateur scientific ‘knowledge’ would suggest the former but what would I know. 😉
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I am pleased to find out that the Jacqhammer has one more mode than “Afterburner”.
“..eruptions start off with the.flap of a butterfly wing”…how powerful the juxtaposition between them.
Cheers Doug.
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Thanks, Spira (I think). Not entirely sure what you comment means but I’m going to assume it’s a compliment. 🙂
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It is a compliment Doug.
(If you are referring to the butterfly thing…It is from a comment reply of yours here)
If not, well then you can blame my short circuited brain.
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Thanks, Spira, much appreciated. Re brains, I can assure that some of the fuses in mine blew years ago. 😉
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