Tom Simpson - Sink

The flower, bright colored petals glistening with early morning dew, was awakening with anticipation of a bright sun filled day. A slight breeze blew through the high branches of majestic pine trees, whistling softly to the forest animals. The cawing of dozens of jet black crows pierced the morning like hawkers selling their wares at a college football game. The sun, breaking slowly through the mist, began warming the damp fur on the creatures who would spend the daylight hours foraging for food in the peacefulness of the secluded woods. Honeybees, hovering like waiting to land helicopters, could sense the flowers sweet nectar that they would soon transport back to their family oriented comb. A mockingbird, gripping a low hanging oak branch was vibrating with hunger pains waiting for the precise moment to swoop down on one of the very large orange and black insects. One of the bees, a scout, was just starting to alight on the emerald green highest leaf when the entire plant suddenly disappeared. The bee, never before having its life work vanish before its compound eyes reversed its direction and began zigzagging around looking for another plant to land on.

The grayish colored bird shrugged its wings and flew to another tree branch to await the next meal opportunity. The flower, well it was gone forever.

The earth was alive. Deep in the bowels of the earth were the vital signs of a living beast. The heartbeat was the steady rhythmical rumblings of the shifting limestone. The blood coursing through its mighty veins was the tiny underground rivers and streams penetrating the solid rock. The respiratory system was composed of the many warm breezes escaping and entering the numerous openings that it had created on the surface. Yes, it was alive. It was hungry.

The tiny vibrations on the surface were scarcely noticeable. There were no door chimes to sound. The tiny rumblings of the cans in the kitchen pantry went undetected. The slight ripples on the lakes surface were not unlike a fish would make trying to catch its breakfast. The rustling of the abundant foliage could be from an early morning summer breeze. At four a.m. there was no one monitoring the many computerized devices around the resort, placed strategically to pick up abnormalities in the complex systems used to control the many functions of a high tech vacation paradise. The vibrations went undetected but they began to work like many busy appendages doing their job for their master body, the earth itself.

The lobby slowly began to sink, less than a millimeter an hour. The massive weight of the concrete and wood beam structure pressing hard on the surface of the beast. The slow sinking would have continued undetected for many days but, a grand opening party was planned and the added weight of all the guests would act as a catalyst, accelerating the process that man had started by building in an unstable land area, honeycombed with natural limestone caves. The beast was coming alive and it was hungry.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming here at channel seven WWBD for a special news broadcast.

This is Wendy Wikowski reporting live from central Florida at the scene of one of the biggest natural disasters to hit the sunshine state. It is believed that almost one thousand people are trapped in a jumble of twisted wreckage of the once beautiful resort built by multi-billionaire Hiruto Tankinato. The prestigious grand opening was at noon today and shortly after, a sinkhole or series of sinkholes swallowed all of the elaborate buildings and much of the surrounding country side, including the main road in. Rescue teams have been arriving since shortly after the sink started but, they are now prevented from further rescue attempts by the intrusion of several armed men who apparently were in the process of removing the valuables from the wealthy guests and the resort safe when they were stopped by Mother Nature. To try to gain their freedom from justice they have taken several hostages and are demanding a helicopter to fly them to freedom. Just a short time ago a helicopter tried to land close to this entrance to hell and the vibrations from the whirring machine caused more of the sinkhole to collapse resulting in the beautiful manmade lake to start pouring in the hole. She paused long enough for the camera to pan the area around the large crack leading to the lake and it focused once again on her face. We will return shortly as new developments continue to enfold from central Florida.

Hiruto Tankinato, with his back facing the elaborate walnut conference table, began again with a little less patience than the three previous attempts.

I will explain one more time. Hopefully, my American business partners will realize that just because Japan lost the war, my country did not breed an entire race of imbeciles. Some of us are really quite smart. Take me, for example. Oxford graduate at seventeen. Owner of an international shipping company at twenty-two. Now, at the old age of thirty-three, I own a chain of banks, three pro-sports teams, countless malls and numerous real estate holdings in forty-one states and a personal wealth of two point three billion dollars. You see my friends; I might really know what Im talking about.

Tankinato turned to face the seven people sitting uneasily around the conference table and continued.

Therefore gentlemen, let me tell you again why this project will work and why all of us present in this room will benefit from my foresight.

Putting a lake, in lake saturated Florida, sounds more like hind end sight not foresight to me. Blurted Tom Evans, president of Magic Moments. The king of package vacation tours.

I agree. Replied Frank Connery Why dont we just buy an existing lake and build the resort on it. That would save us millions in construction cost not counting the environmental expenses of messing with nature.

Okay Frank. I personally know that your construction company is right now financially strapped and you, you are up to your eyeballs in debt. I have told you not to worry but, you somehow have a death wish, you and Tom listen carefully and I will explain again why this

cannot miss and how you men will all be really rich afterwards. Now just be quiet and listen to an expert for a change.

Hiruto Tankinato pulled his padded red leather chair back out from the table and gently sat down like testing hot bath water. He carefully poured purified water from a gold plated decanter into an expensive crystal goblet and continued.

I will again explain the semantics of the situation and this time please listen very carefully because I feel like if I have to say this one more time I will get a new set of investors and believe me, you will be very sorry if you miss out on this one. I chose each one of you because I believe you each have a very valuable talent I can use. Just remember this though. You are all very replaceable so dont give me the opportunity to do that.

Now that I have your undivided attention, I will tell you the advantages of this plan of mine. First, and by far the most important, the financial reason for putting a lake where no lakes exist, but in a lake infested area. As you all know the price of waterfront lots are astronomical. The land we have put a deposit on is a mixture of worn out cow pastures and over mature orange groves. The woods mixed in dont add to the value because there is nothing around them. Therefore we picked up the land dirt-cheap and the profit margin usually associated with a land purchase is a tremendous amount larger than normal. After we develop the land around the lake with a sufficient number of canals added in, our price for lots for individual homes and the prices for multi acre plots for condominiums will be staggering but very competitive for waterfront land.