A Cold Hearth

[tectak]

Four a.m., and the farmyard reveille has rallied the children; Unsure on "rallied". I see the intent as "gathered" but not as " revitalised"...I feel you mean more of the former than the latter which makes the next lines less poignant. Suggestion would be "stirred"...more pedestrian but less ambiguous.
it is dark, and Mother insists that lights are used only for necessary tasks.  Finding Only mothers capitalise mother...but of course, that is Father's name for her....but the children? No. On balance if mother and father get capitals, so should children.
slippers must be done by touch, as mats do little to stop the winter sinking into bare feet.   There is a big disconnect here. It is that consequential shade of meaning implied by the bloody "as" word. It incorrectly relates to the "finding by touch" and not to the "mats do little". Do you seee?  You only just get away with sinking upwards. Winter soaks in to bare feet. Winter slinks in to bare feet. Winter sneaks in to bare feet.

The kitchen fire shows no glow of coals.  Father, drunk, forgot to bank it
again.  Little James rakes the cold ash out of the way while Jenny gathers kindling from the box by the door. Jenny brings,  Jenny fetches. You do not gather wine from the cellar or logs from the store or bread from the bin or cheese from the board or milk from the fridge or....ahem!
In the copper on the ledge, last night's stew has congealed in rebuke to Mother,  I ask because I do not know...does unsatisfactory (too much, too little?) seasoning produce spontaneous congealing or is this a vengeful stew?
who did not salt it satisfactorily.  The tea in the kettle has ice on the top.   If you mean this, it is cute...but kettles boil water, teapots contain tea....I was brought up in a PROPER council house with OUR OWN teapot.

The children set the teepee and stuff it with last week's news.  Jenny warms her hands I am tired. I see the teepee of sticks in the grate/hearth...I like the image, but it has very contrived and, dare I say it, misplaced relevence. Is it some Oz thing?
under her arms -- matches don't grow on trees, says Father, and one mustn't 
waste them with fumbling fingers.   Charming cameo...even with the dashed dash. Is this a new way of indicating that narrative follows? Nope? Why, then?

She leans in, ready to strike, and takes a breath.  The cold hearth smells of inevitability, Who she? You do not say. You end incongruously on breath (period) and begin again with not a new, or old for that matter, sentence. Are you drunk, woman
accusation and despair.

The match sparks, and it begins anew. Hmmm. A little twee, if I may be so bold. Not sure how to spell twee.

Hi leanne,
Would you take offence if I said it was nice? Naw. Thought not. Nice.
Best,
tectak