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Chapter 18

Something has been bothering me about the land and the miners ever since Jesse mentioned that the number of compatible miners should be larger. Karl wants to ensure that all the miners have well-paying jobs. I need that to become a reality, but how? The newcomers joining our pack won't need money, but how do we find jobs for everyone else? With that many men always near the mine, we would get discovered. What is missing that could create jobs in the area?

I kept thinking this over when Jesse walked in. "I see you're having second thoughts."

"Why do you say that?"

"Keith, you haven't said a word to me or the other guys since last night, and you look deep in thought. That's why."

"It's not that I'm having second thoughts. Karl wants to find jobs for everyone, keeping them in the same area as the mine. What you said about the number of compatible men poses a problem for Karl and for us."

"You need to relax before your brain explodes. What's your fondest memory? You know, going to the beach or seeing a ball game with your dad. Let's do something fun."

What Jesse said sparked an idea in my head. As I looked at him, my expression must have given it away.

Jesse smiled. "By the look on your face, you decided. Tell me, and we'll go do it."

"No, it's not that I found my fondest memory. You gave me a solution to our problem. Well, not our problem, but Karl's. I want to tell both of you at the same time."

'_Karl, I don't know if anything's been bothering you about the miners, but we need to talk. _' There was a momentary pause, and then he replied.

'Yes, I've been having doubts about how many men who will not join the pack. Without enough jobs, my men will leave the town. The area will suffer; I need to find other work for so many.'

'_I might have a solution. Can we come see you in the garage? As soon as you can? _'

*****

The next morning, Karl met Jesse and me in the garage of his property. Leo stood behind Karl, and Ursus was behind me as we sat in the living room of the upper loft.

"The number of men we can hire will be less than half, at best. The local area around the mine is very undeveloped. Once the mine closes, there's no way to find jobs for the rest unless you move them," I said, noticing his brow furrowed. "Doing that will cause the town's failure, and I know that's not what you want. There is a solution."

"I'm all ears. I can't think of any viable alternatives," Karl replied, leaning forward in his chair.

"The space designated for the equipment, along with the living accommodations, is flat and quite large. You could build a theme park there. Hear me out before you make your decision." Karl fought back laughter. "The interstate is only about five miles away. Right now, there are hundreds of travelers passing through, either heading to their destination or returning home. How far is the nearest destination to have fun? Fifty, a hundred, maybe even hundreds of miles away. If we build a theme park here—something more than just a run-of-the-mill attraction, but a huge one—we could attract those heading to Utah for off-roading or camping, as well as families traveling to California from the East Coast. We wouldn't be their final destination but a stopping point before they reach it, giving them time to de-stress and enjoy themselves."

Now I had Karl's attention. "I see, but the park would only be open for, what, six or seven months?"

Jesse interjected, "As long as you offer the right amenities, you could stay open all year. Skiers travel to Colorado in the winter, don't they?"

"Exactly!" I exclaim, a grin spreading across my face. "Or, if you provide enough incentives, you could still attract visitors, even if the numbers drop at certain times of the year. What's your goal: to make a profit or to provide enough for these men and their families to get by on?"

"Yes, you're both right," Karl said. "Preparing the land will take years, and building the park will take even longer. However, the men would have good jobs for many years. If some leave for better opportunities, that's fine—as long as they leave because they want to, not because they have to."

"So that's the plan then: we get as many of them to join the pack while you employ the rest to prepare the land and build the park," I stated, getting excited about the idea.

"Now let's talk about how to recruit the men for the pack."

"Karl, I was thinking we could have the spirits enter the dreams of the selected men and offer them a vision of what life in the pack could be like. With images, we would depict normal life in the Oasis, the cave, even the land above. Before they wake up, the spirit could plant a thought in their minds that if they want this dream to become a reality, they should go to the cave entrance we've chosen instead of heading to the mine."

Karl responded, "But how will they know where to go? We can't have them driving around the mountain. We should establish a clear route to and from the cave before we initiate any of the candidates."

Jesse proposed, "If we create a path for the dreamers to follow, it could lead them to a small opening near the mine..."

"... and that opening could connect to our cave, possibly through a portal," Karl concluded.

I turned to the spirits and asked, "Can you make this happen? Create a portal that only opens when a dreamer approaches. If anyone else comes near, they should only find a shallow cave that leads nowhere."

"Yes, Master," they reply.

"Since these men will be away for a few days, we need to either convert some higher-positioned miners or excuse their absence while ensuring they remain employed," I explained.

"There are eight men responsible for managing the miners' schedules, and five are compatible. If I inform all eight that I will pull two of them away for a few days, the other six can still keep the mine running. I can request four more compatible men to join those two. Our only challenge is to find accommodations for these six while they decide whether to accept or decline the offer," Karl said.

"Tonight, we could set up three shipping containers, like the ones we saw by the employee camping area. Make each one have sleeping quarters for two men. They will be far from the usual employee camping area, close to the trail that leads to our cave entrance," Ursus proposed.

Jesse added, "You need to make the containers look new, not like the containers there now. Add the mine's logo on the outside of the containers and include a banner showing that they are for recruiting and retraining."

"Before you proceed, remember that a new moon will arrive in a few days. Let's use it to our advantage. Tonight, grade and prep the land for the containers. If anyone notices, they'll assume the higher-ups ordered this work. Tomorrow night, add concrete blocks to support the containers. On the night of the new moon, set the containers on those blocks. This will create the impression that Karl or one of us directed the prep work and container placement," I explained to the spirits.

"Yes, this way, nothing unexplainable happens. The containers were just delivered while the men were on shift or asleep," Ursus said.

"Yes, that should work. If both of you could join me in the cafeteria during all three shifts, I can introduce you to the miners as the new owners. I will explain that we will close the mine and are offering jobs in environmental clean-up to those who are interested. I'll also mention that you plan to speak with each miner before making any staffing decisions. I will outline my plan to create a theme park, which will provide employment for workers not hired by your company. I want to assure everyone that, with the theme park and mine clean-up, the town, and its workers will have job opportunities for the foreseeable future," Karl proposed.

Turning to Karl, I asked, "You should have plans of the park to show the men. If we're going to share this information with everyone, we should have at least some renderings and a site plan."

"I have a vague idea of what the park should look like, and a list of attractions. Other than that, not much, but I can also envision it. Getting it on paper for the meeting will take time to draw up. I want to leave out the finer details because I want everyone to work together on this. It will involve all the workers who wish to stay here, as well as the townspeople who will be impacted. The project will require a year or more of planning, and the miners will prepare the land and planting low-water trees and shrubs in the surrounding area to enhance its appearance," Karl explained.

"We spirits, while we cannot create living matter, we can help it thrive. Parks, especially the type you speak of, require many trees. If your men plant small trees after the grading is done, we can make them grow in a short period." Cetus added.

I told Ursus, "Remember, we cannot do anything that cannot be explained, like making a four-foot tree grow to fifty feet in just a few years."

"Yes Master. But we can do this." From his back, he pulled out a tube and handed it to Karl.

"What is this?"

"Fen saw what you envisioned, and we created it on paper. Look and if changes need to be made. Tell us and it will be done. This should suffice for your meeting."

*****

Karl informed the mine manager he needed to notify the workers about a meeting scheduled for their lunch break. To accommodate the meeting, lunch for each shift will be extended, and the cafeteria would offer special meals as if it were a holiday.

The following afternoon and the next day, we had our discussions with the miners. Surprisingly, no one raised questions about the mine's closure; every miner already understood that it was fully mined out. However, they displayed significant interest in the clean-up work and the theme park. News of these opportunities spread, with miners from other shifts expressing enthusiasm. The only difference was that those miners had already started brainstorming ideas for the theme park.

Karl encouraged everyone to submit their ideas, either by writing them down or sketching them out. He emphasized the submissions did not need to be professional, just recognizable or explained in simple terms.

I added that the theme park would be for all ages and encouraged any miner with family members to send in their ideas as well. I emphasized that each submission needed to include the submitter's information so we could contact them for clarification if necessary.

We informed the miners that signup sheets would be available in the cafeteria the following day, where they could "indicate" their preference for either the park or the site clean-up. Karl also mentioned that those interested in both opportunities could sign up for both and would have the chance to be interviewed.

*****

Over a week has passed, and Jesse and I were taking over the daily operations of the mine. The miners were still being paid by Karl, who had ordered them to regard us as their new bosses. We had already gotten the site plans for the mine and any other data that the spirits had requested. All the miners were instructed to clear the mine of any debris; if it wasn't attached to the walls, floor or ceiling, it needed to be pulled up to the three topmost levels. They started from the lowest level and worked their way up. If they encountered something too large to move, they cleaned around it and continued upward. This not only provided them with work but also allowed Jesse, me, and the spirits to shape the lowest tunnel into the cave system we envisioned.

Only two days later, Jesse and I were brought to the lowest level of the mine.

'This is the very deepest level, Master. Here we created the first and most important cave,' Omega spoke.

"The initiation room?" Jesse asked.

'Yes, where all members will be chosen,' Omega answered. With a flick of Omega's tail, a portal began forming. 'Its opening will remain hidden until the first candidate comes for membership.' Omega flicked his tail again, and a second portal began to materialize just a few yards away from the first.

"Is this one for those who accept and have completed the bonding?" I inquired.

'Indeed it is, Master. The bonded one will take their new follower to their room, where they will learn all that is required.'

I could now make out a raised area. Jesse followed me as I approached for a closer look, and it became clear that there were six platforms, each over six feet in diameter. One platform was lower than the others and separate from the five that arched around it. I pointed to the platforms and asked, "What are these used for?"

'Master, the candidate will stand on the lower one while we spirits stand on the others that are grouped together. He will see only one of us as we ask questions to determine whether he truly understands what we are asking of him. Each of us will appear one at a time to avoid overwhelming him. He will be asked to choose one of us to be his leader. Once a spirit is chosen, the rest will return to their spirit form, while the leader approaches the candidate and, with your power, brings him into the pack.'

"You will give him time to decide. If he is uncertain about which one of you is right for him, ask him to choose two from the five of you and let him compare. His choice is permanent; do not let him make it in haste."

'Yes, Master. You honor us with your words. We will ensure that the one he picks will be the right one for him.' Omega said it as if my words held more significance than I intended.

The cave started lighting up. I could now see the changes the spirits made. At first, I could only tell that the spirits made the tunnel floor flat, now because of the light I could see the tunnel for what it is, a cave. Yes, the floor was flat where we stood, but it was a circle twenty-five feet in diameter containing the six platforms. Instead of a long tunnel with boring marks all around it was shaped like natural rock out cropping's, some areas narrow and others so wide an interstate highway could pass through. Stalagmites and stalactites lined the floor and ceiling, some connecting like they supported the ceiling from collapsing. The tunnels were twenty-five feet high, but the cave was twice that.

"You did all this in just two days?" Jesse asked.

'No, it was created in less than one day.'

"But how? This is huge. Where did all the rock and..."

Omega spoke before I could finish, 'We sent it to our world, you will be made aware in due time, Master.'

I chalked what omega said as part of the agreement we made.