“Security, you can leave your bike out here.” Fredward Sampson said to Miller holding his security clearance card out toward the insertion unit next to the door. “You water guy’s are serious about your water plant, huh?” Fredward opened the door. Miller left his bike leaning against the wall of the building. Miller was transfixed on the magnitude of this place. This plant, designed to produce clean water from the man made lake for the metropolitan area they were in.
Chapter 2
The Water Treatment Plant
Miller couldn’t believe the size of the giant tubes going in and out of the walls as he walked with Fredward toward what was guessed by Miller to be a laboratory. “Is this where you work on the water?” “It’s a laboratory where I conduct experimental procedures that are not all under classification.” Again Miller didn’t really understand the language. “So does that mean you clean the water in here?” Fredward stopped and decided to explain himself more.
“This water supply is federally protected along with all public water in the country.” Fredward stands in front of another door looking at Miller. “So that means all that goes on here is a serious safety issue.” Miller shakes his head in understanding, “But not top secret.” Fredward smiles, “Not everything.”
They enter through the door and Mr. Sampson turns the lights on. The room was large in height and surrounding. It was full of plants like a green house. Miller was astounded, “What is this like an under ground green house?” “Not quite. This is the part where you need to swear your secrecy to keep this knowledge to yourself. And respect the fact the reason I am disclosing this sight to you is because I feel you may have saved my life. And as a token for my appreciation this is what I wanted to show you. I am a scientist that functions with the water plant, but I am also a scientist that works on federal experimentation. The plants that you are looking at have to due with federal testing that are beneficial. This is a laboratory focused on the cannabis plant.”
Miller was shocked he knew the word cannabis. “What do you mean weed, or I mean marijuana?” “Correct. Some of these plants have been beneficial in finding new cures for all types of ailments.” “No way. This is unbelievable. You mean to tell me all of these plants are marijuana plants.” “Everyone.”
Miller stood in amazement. Then he looks over at a number of rubber bins sitting together. He walks over then turns, and looks at Fredward pointing down. “This is the bud.” Fredward shakes his head, “You are correct. Once the plant blooms, the blooms’ are removed and used for testing.” “No shit. Like smoked.” Fredward can’t keep from smiling, “No the chemicals in the plant are extracted, and then are tested in controlled simulations.”
Fredward points to a corner behind them where the testing site is located, a typical setup with sink and drain. “That is where I complete the testing.”
Miller has to take another look at all the plants. “Is all this top secret?” Fredward is looking at the plants when he asks, “Is it?” Miller responds, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” “Well then yes it is, but this is also controlled by the government I work for, won’t ever be public knowledge due to the lengths it was designed and protected. Did you notice the area behind this building?” “You mean the grass and hills?”
Fredward checked his watch before saying, “This part of the water plant is underground like most of the water plant except the buildings standing on the water plant’s campus.” “Why were you checking the mailbox out front?” Fredward was intrigued by Miller’s question. “That has to do with the part of the water plant I am also responsible for. Nothing though, that has to do with what is done here.” Miller guesses it is probably time for him to go. “Thanks for the tour of the coolest thing I have ever seen. Guess I’m gonna leave now.” Fredward turns to Miller and asks if he would need summer employment, “Do you work when you are out of school?” Miller gives Fredward a funny stare, “Maybe, why are you asking?”
Fredward doesn’t immediately respond. He waits for quite a while looking back and forth from the plant area to Miller to the lab table area. “How would you feel about helping me out a little if you could?” Miller was not very interested. “I don’t know, I’m usually busy during the week in the summer.” Miller decides he would think about it, and before he could answer Fredward gives an option otherwise, “How about this. If you decide you might want the experience or could use say nine bucks, ten bucks an hour put a note in the mailbox saying when you want to start. I’m here between 8:00 am and 6:00pm and usually go to lunch for a hour or so.”
Miller gives a head nod and tells Fredward, “Nice to meet you any how if I don’t.” Fredward, was understanding the kid was just wanting to leave. “Again thank you for your help.” Miller was aware of how severe he meant this and showed that appreciation when he turned around to walk over and give Fredward a hearty hug. “Take it easy,” was the last thing for Miller to say as he walked away.
The next thing Miller realized was that he was back in the middle of the wooded area of the park he rides the mountain bike trails. What was amazing to him was that he had a change of hearing. It was like his sense had articulated itself while the beginning and end of meeting Fredward Sampson, scientist. He was able to notice the echo sound has as it ricochets off of one object in its way then the other. He could tell this especially by the creek where he had the water to bounce it off of. He would be back he might of found something more interesting to do than just trail riding.
School for Miller was school, but was over. Along with the sounds he was hearing from that day on the trails, but also it seems he made notes of things he was thinking instead of the notes for his last exams. It seemed he could combine the sounds and the words if he had the time. Miller’s meeting of Fredward was also something he was thinking of. More than just the fact he might have saved someone from danger, but that such a strange thing in that he knew of a totally different world.
Miller made many trips back to that spot on the trails. He was finding something it seemed a little more each time. One day that profoundly had an effect on him was when he brought some of his notes from class, and he decided to add them to the sounds he was making. Miller couldn’t believe it he might have made the sound of a song.
As he road back home he had to think if he could remake the sound echoes he makes with an instrument or instruments. He passes by the mailbox at the water treatment plant, and thinks about what the scientist said to him. It made sense to Miller if he was interested in getting some instruments he might need money to purchase them with. The rest of what he did for money in the summer was for a university education purchase. He just needed to remember to leave a note next time he passed by.
Miller thought to himself, “That scientist was cool.” The next time Miller would see him he knew he would be excited to see him, “What a cool friend.” Again he thought. As he did he did a lot of riding in the mean time. Along with plenty of rhythm practice he thought you could call it. His extension of that was really making sounds bounce off of other surfaces, a relay of sound. And of course he road plenty, and remembered to keep up with cannabis for the rides.
Miller got into a ride long enough to where he felt he reached the point of a familiar relaxation with the help of his endorphins. This dropped him into his spot of similar creation. When he sits back to take a second he realizes he wrote a song. “I’m gonna call it, “Endorphin Height.” Miller sits there lining out what it takes to reach that height, then he thought he could write his first song.
He knew he needed to maybe stop by the doctor scientist’s office for the moneymaking opportunity after all for the purchase of instruments he will need. So he writes a note on the receipt in his pocket with a pen he now carries so he doesn’t miss the opportunity to write something down. “Dear Scientist,” he writes, “gonna need to stop by in the middle of the week at your time you told me to start helping you. See you then. Miller.” He thought, “That will do.” Then he notices a stick on the ground.
Miller picks it up and