In The Name Of Progress

By Erin McDuff

Big, puffy white clouds floated across the beautiful blue sky above the gently sloping country-side. Here and there houses dotted the landscape, many being farms. In the distance water could be seen on the horizon. The only thing that looks out of place is a rusty Ford pickup truck that rumbled along the rural dirt road. Inside of the truck sat an old farmer and his adult daughter. They pulled into the gravel driveway of one of the farm houses.

"I'm telling you, Dad," argued the daughter, "the new power plant they're opening tomorrow on the river is gonna be great! It will provide this little speck on a road map with clean, cheap electricity!"

"I think you've spent a little too much time with your head in the smog, Sarah," replied her father.

"And I think you've spent too much time inhaling tractor fumes," grumbles Sarah, "I don't know why you're so afraid of the progress! I'm telling you, nuclear power is the future!"

"I don't want something that not even the supposed ‘smart' people don't understand sittn' in my backyard!" countered her father.

"I had to practically sell my soul to convince the rest of the planning committee at Universal Electric Company to build here and I don't feel sorry about it! Think of the jobs this new plant will produce! And this is completely safe technology! These plants' backups have got backups for Pete's sake!"

"That's according to them- the politicians. I wouldn't trust'em any farther than I could throw'em."

"Oh, you're home at last!" yelled Sarah's mother from the house's front porch, bringing the fight to an abrupt end, "I am so happy to see you, Honey! Come on now- dinner's gettn' cold."

The plant opened without incident and months passed. The small community grew used to the giant concrete fortress on the river. Sarah had brought to the country-side the best thing that has ever happened to it. She had proven her father wrong, and life continued on it's merry way.

One evening, the local doctor had a young child come in with symptoms he had never seen before. The next day the child died. More and more people began to come down with exactly the same mysterious illness and dying from it. The health department was stumped. It looked like death from exposure to radiation. But that wasn't possible. How could the community be dying one by one? In normal exposure many people died at once.

Universal Electric denied any involvement. They were believed because how could it be the power plant. No one could fathom the possibility. When Sarah's own parents fell ill to the unidentified affliction, Sarah came home to demand an explanation from plant officials. But no such explanation was forthcoming.

"What is going on?!" she demanded as she entered the plant director's office.

"Pray tell, what are you talking about?" questioned the Director innocently.

Don't even try to pull that crap on me! You know what I'm talking about! The cause of all the deaths around here is the power plant, isn't it?!"

"Well, that's just not possible- didn't you hear? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave us a clean bill of health just yesterday," the Director stated with a smile.

"You bribed the inspector, didn't you?"

"Oh my, Sarah! What a dreadful idea!"

"How can you just sit here while people are dying all around you? You have to do something!"

"‘I' don't have to do anything. We own these people nothing. The plant has given these country bumpkins exactly what they wanted- energy. And it has given me exactly what I wanted- money. I mean, just because of a little leak in the reactor cooling system are you saying I should close down the whole plant? Time is money, my dear."

Sarah's face, which had been twisted in rage up until this point, now softens slightly with a dawning realization, "The contaminated cooling water is leaking into the drinking water! That's what's making the people sick!"

"Now Sarah, you can't prove that."

"Oh yes, I can! And I will! Kiss your comfy job good-bye, you sick son-of-a-bitch!"

"It'll be pretty hard to prove something if you don't even get the chance to report it to anyone," And with that said, he had two men take Sarah away.

Many hours later, Sarah regains consciousness. She finds herself lying on the ground at the out-skirts of the plant. Terrified, she looked up at the cooling towers far above her.

"Amazing, isn't it? The fact that man can build such great structures is awe-inspiring."

Sarah whipped her head in the direction of the voice- it was the plant director, "You!" She screamed and tried to jump at him but she couldn't. They had tied her up- she was trapped.

"You know that pesky little leak that you made such a big deal about earlier? Well, unfortunately it's not so little any more. What a shame it'll be to see this lovely county destroyed."

"What are you talking about?!" Sarah desperately cried.

"The cooling water is leaking out faster than it can be replaced, that's what I mean."

"No, you can't do that! You can't let that thing melt down!"

"Why can't I?"

"Why should you?!"

An evil grin crossed the Director's face as he leaned down and hissed in Sarah's ear, "Because I can."

Sarah could only stare in horror, as the Director proceed to then walk away from her and climb into a helicopter where the rest of the plant workers were already.

"Come back here!" she yelled, even though she knew it would do no good.

Everything around Sarah began to tremble. An unholy roar erupted from the Earth and the ground fractured in all directions. Geysers of radioactive gas shot up in the air. The last thing Sarah saw was a cloud of steam rushing toward her.

Far above, the Director glanced down from the safety of the helicopter.

"Really too bad," he thought, "I sorta liked that Sarah. Oh well. The sacrifice is worth it. On to the next little hick town. Progress- what a beautiful thing!"

*The picture used on this page is of a home located near Three Mile Island. In the background you can see the cooling towers of the plant. How would you like that in your backyard?*