1 October 2026, Freewriters Community Daily Writing Prompt Day 3243: monster month

“OK, so, maybe September wasn't the right month to sell the Ludlow Bubbly from Papa's money perspective, but gosh, it is turning out to be a monster month for the company and a good start for the worker-owners!”

Capt. R.E. Ludlow smiled as his two oldest grandchildren, eleven-year-old Eleanor and ten-year-old Andrew, looked at some financial statements that had been shown him as a courtesy as the founder of the company. Since they were his two eldest grandchildren, he was treating them as his principal heirs, so teaching them about business and finance was part of the job.

Sometimes the captain just stepped back and let Eleanor and Andrew find things and learn on their own...

“It's gotta be because now the workers own it and are promoting it harder than ever,” Andrew said. “It seems to make a difference to people when they own stuff and don't just work for it.”

“Well, I mean – well, this isn't a good example, because I love you, but, let's just say I didn't,” Eleanor said. “Am I about to work harder to make you rich or make me rich?”

“Oh, absolutely you should work harder for yourself – I mean, if we weren't in the same family, that would make good sense,” Andrew said. “I mean, one thing we know for sure: not even everybody in our own family is coming to help, so, absolutely, Eleanor. I get it.”

“Which kind of makes you think about the world a little,” Eleanor said. “Maybe people don't work as hard as they could because they don't feel that it matters for them – they don't feel like they have any ownership in things.”

“Foster parents,” Andrew said. “It explains a lot.”

“Yep,” Eleanor said, “but then again, Andrew, some parents don't feel like they need to take ownership in their own kids.”

“Yep, we know about that,” Andrew said. “But see, what I seem to get from this is, it's all about choices. Let's say we weren't cousins who now are adopted siblings. Let's say I worked for you. I believe you would be running a good company doing good things, so, I would take ownership in the good I was helping the company do, and choose to work hard.”

Eleanor considered this.

“There's probably, for us, also that thing in Colossians,” she said.

“Right – whatever you are doing, do it with your whole heart as unto the Lord,” Andrew said. “But, see, again: that means I couldn't be out here working for a bad company to start with, no matter how much money there was, because I just can't do the foolishness.”

“Me neither,” Eleanor said. “What we need is do to talk Papa and Grandma into starting something else that doesn't take too much time that we can inherit or take over when we get big enough.”

“Yep,” Andrew said, “because we don't build foolish companies over here. In the meantime, the Trents are doing really good on their customized reminder cards and Team No-Sleep. We could work for them, too – they don't build foolishness either. But then again, maybe we should finish elementary school first.”

“I guess,” Eleanor said. “I mean, we are doing stuff on a high school level and home schooling, but, the college kids are not ready for us to graduate ahead of them at 13 and 14.”

“Nope,” Andrew said. “Then you gotta add that Glendella is catching up with us, too, in math, so three Ludlows just walking up and getting our diplomas when we are not even fully developed and can grow a good mustache might be an issue. The world has got to get a little more advanced.”