The Glass Top Coffin (standard:drama, 2006 words) [3/12] show all parts
Author: Stephen-Carver Byrd	Added: Dec 31 2002	Views/Reads: 2442/1847	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
***Part 3*** Death Lies Deep And Dark

“THE GLASS TOP COFFIN” 

***Part 3*** Death Lies Deep And Dark 

By Stephen Bryan (HurricaneWarning) 

Mr. Moore grabbed the broom and picked up exactly at the spot where he
had left off. Jordan hopped back into the old rocker, throwing his legs 
over the side. “Well you‘re sure right about one thing Jordi," Mr. 
Moore said with a half chuckle. “If business is anything like today, 
you'll have time to write an entire novel. But I just see one little 
problem with making this store your writing office." Jordan pointed a 
puzzled look at the old man. “That God-smirking dam project that 
everyone's talking about. Guarantee you one thing, there won't be a 
store or anything else left around here if that monster moves into the 
neighborhood.” 

“What are you talking about, Mr. Moore?” Jordan asked in a befuddled
voice, now sitting up straight in the rocker. The boy had heard some 
talk of this project at school and from his mom, something about the 
possibility of the entire Falls Hills area being purposely flooded. 
However, he understood it to be at least thirty years away, a time so 
distant that it seemed meaningless for any ten-year old. Now, hearing 
about it from the lips of his trusted old friend, the dam project 
seemed to take on a completely new meaning. 

“Those greedy ass Power Company Ducks,” Mr. Moore bellowed. “The same
ones who built Lake Holder, you know that huge beast of a lake up on 
the Virginia border. That particular dam provides power for this entire 
area. Now they're saying in about thirty-five years they'll need more 
power than Holder can provide. 

“Mom and I went to Lake Holder once on vacation,” Jordan told him. “I
remembered we rented this little boat and rode all around. That was the 
biggest lake I've seen in my life. We got lost a few times and had to 
ask some other boaters the way back to the marina.” 

“Yep, that sounds like the one all right, runs right through two states,
Virginia and North Carolina.” 

“But that's almost 50 miles from here, how are they going to get that
lake to flood into this area?” asked Jordan. 

“They're not. What they're planning to do is dam the Kostyu River. It
runs along by highway 38, down that long steep grade. I'm sure you've 
seen that river before.” 

“Yes sir,” Jordan told him. “But only from the car when we crossed the
bridge” 

“Well, she's a real roaring son-of a-gun, third largest river east of
the Mississippi. They're going to dam it about 5 miles south of here.” 
Since this part of the area has lower elevation, the water will just 
flow naturally into our little valley. Do you know anything about 
geology, Jordi?” 

“Yes sir, we take a little in school, but it's not my best subject,
English is my best.” 

“Oh really? I'm just shocked to the ass,” Mr. Moore grumped. Jordan just
smiled to himself. 

“Anyway, this stranger came in for a snack and soda a few months back.
Told me he was a geologist and doing preliminary work for the Power 
Company's new dam project. My first instinct was to kick his ass right 
out of here, but then I thought I would try for a little information. 
Well, I got it all right, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. 
The only good news was that the actual flooding wouldn't take place 
until around 1990, that's twenty-seven years up the road. Let's see, 
you'll be about thirty-six or thirty-seven by then, and that's when...” 


“Why on earth is it going to take twenty-seven years?” Jordan
interrupted with a confused look. 



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