A Day of Change

A day of change
By Kelly Starke

Introduction

         There are moments in history when the footsteps of mankind reach a crucial tipping point. A choice must be made to ascend as a race or perish. An initial step must be taken off the beaten path leading to an area of unknown. What could be discovered down this new route of enquiry? A journey of which one has no knowledge, no background, no stepping stones but those carefully crafted by themselves. Fuelled by the passion of wandering into some darkness not knowing what is on the other side. Persistence through failure is the only road to any form of answer.

Research

Keelan Morris
May 26, 2010
7:14 pm

Mycelium vs. Moss

         Feels good to be home. Time to get right into the lab.. Hopefully this new sample will provide more insight into the forces and communication of plant and organic life.

Sample: Mycelium
Location: Eastern Oregon
Description: Branches of threadlike hyphae, white in color, soft textured
Notes: Sample of the largest known organism
2,400 acres of coverage approximately
Patches encompass the globe
Studies shown working knowledge
Keeps forests in a constant regenerative cycle
Soaks up nutrients
Not dependant on photosynthesis
         
      The moss receivers have collected no data worth recording since I have been gone. The weeks of experiments that have passed seem to lead me to the conclusion that the answers must lie elsewhere. I will be slightly modifying the apparatus’s and trying three different types of solutions to engross the fungi, making it easier to pick up the impulses discharged, as well as dampening the effects of outside noise; a distilled water solution, a gelatinous solution, and a nutrient water solution. Experiments of my own have proven that once attuned to a plant or organism such as the fungi, it can sense your emotions no matter the distance apart. Maybe all life is attuned to each other in this manner, keeping this natural balance. How can we come to detect and understand this underlying connection? The question must continue to be asked…

**********

         Hidden under the earth, in a laboratory glowing green with life, there sat a man whose life was devoted to the chance of a new discovery. With ultra violet lights shining down from above illuminating his dirty blonde hair and a bead of sweat rolling down his temple past the crease of his left eye. Blue grey eyes that appear to harness the madness of a brilliant mind within. The sleeves of his black button shirt rolled up to the forearms and his khaki pants sat loose around is seated legs. Hunched over his desk tucked away in the corner,  Keelan Morris dropped his pen and took the sample out of his bag.
      The fungi sat perched above him, absorbing its new environment while he worked assembling and modifying the apparatus’s needed for the new receivers. This is it, he thought as he worked on for hours until the job was finished. He stepped back from the table to see the three receivers neatly assembled and placed near the wall. Following the connecting cables from the receivers to the back of the computer, all connections had been made. As he gazed at the faintly beating lines sliding across the monitor a small smile started creasing across his lips. He looked over to the picture of a beautiful blonde woman framed on his desk, flicked off the lights and clambered up the spiral stairs to see the sun just beginning to rise through the shimmering glass of his greenhouse.

*******

         When he stepped out of the shower, his nose tickled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee waiting for him in the kitchen. Still invigorated from a sleepless night of work he stepped out onto the patio to watch the sun slowly rise, giving light to the beauty that surrounded him.
His house was perched on a rocky coastline of the southwest side of Vancouver Island. Forest surrounding him on all sides but one; one which opened wide to the beauty of a rolling ocean. A brilliantly designed A-frame loft, perfectly situated to absorb as much sun as possible while still feeling embraced by the islands towering conifers. Modern architecture mixed with cottage relaxation, topped with breathtaking flora. His money largely spent on his greenhouse and laboratory, always asking some other breaking question and sprinting down an entirely new path.
Mornings seem to stretch on forever, the sun was etching a hole higher in the sky now and he had a few things that had yet to be done. As the newspaper hit the table and the last sip of coffee went down he was all ready on his feet, ready to run through his morning routine. Shouldn’t be long before I can begin research downstairs he thought as he strode off towards the greenhouse.

Keelan Morris
May 27, 2010
8:05 am
Greenhouse, Observations

         The propagations are all coming along exactly as they should. The Aphelendra Squarrosa petioles took a few days longer to sprout roots than the other cuttings but seemed to have been growing rapidly to catch up. Should be ready for planting soon. Everything needed a little more water than usual due to my absence over the past days but seem to be perking now that I am back.
         The begonia leaf cuttings at day 14 are starting to differ in appearance. The leaf that I have been showering with thoughts of happiness and love is still very green and turgid. However the plant that I have been ignoring is beginning to loose turgidity and chlorophyll. Neither cutting has received water or nutrients since the separation has occurred. I will continue every morning to shower the leaf with positive thoughts and love to see what types of other observations can be made. Note, would love to test the effects of musical stimulants on your average kitchen herbs.
         The garden is doing great. The sun must have been hot in the sky while I was gone. It seems as though the vegetables are growing extraordinarily fast. I should be able to harvest them soon. Carrots should begin to orange in no longer than a week. Beets a few days after.  They took a large amount of water as well to satisfy their appetites. A few stray leaves have browned on the snow peas but are growing reaching ever higher. It seems the growing season should be great.

************

         Stomach grumbling, Keelan strode out of the greenhouse and made his way down to the rocky shore. In a small bay sheltered from the crests of the ocean, a lone rock cut out of the chaotic water below. One of the first things Keelan crafted when he built the home was a thin wooden bridge that spanned the gap to the top. It was one of the most relaxing places on the property. A feeling as if you are sitting atop an endless ocean.
         Unlocking his fishing pole from a clamp on the side of the rock he readied the reel and hook. With a graceful cast the hook whipped out fifty or more feet and landed with a soft splash in the rolling waters.
He sat with his feet hanging over an expanse of rolling ocean. Reliving tender memories of times spent on this very rock. Enjoying the rays of the sun and the crashing of the waves all around; arms wrapped around the one person he never thought he would loose. Lost in thought, reality raced back to him as the rod viciously bent down towards the blue abyss. A small battle ensued that left lunch dangling before him.
Never catching more than he could eat, he relocked his fishing pole onto the rock and carried the fish back across the bridge, up the rocks and into the house above.
         For the next hour smells curled out of the house wafting lemon and halibut into the surrounding air. He found something very calming about cooking. As he prepared the fish and rice, thoughts of his wife passed through his mind. She taught him everything he knew in the kitchen. She was a genius at tickling the senses with new recipes. He loved every passing thought of her but it made him really sense the solitude in which he had been living. The taste of the fish took his mind off everything and let him fully indulge and enjoy every savoury bite.
         When the dishes were in the dishwasher he ran through a quick mop-up of the kitchen and walked out to the patio. Soaking in as many rays as he could from the sun shining directly overhead, he opened the door to his greenhouse and disappeared. The doorway to his lab lay at the other end of the greenhouse and the stairs wound down into the earth below. The only light in the stairwell was emanating clusters of small luminescent mushrooms inset into the lower wall lighting up the stairs and his feet as they touched down on each descending stair.
         When he unlocked and creaked open the steel door at the bottom of the stairs he noticed the computer screen glowing back at him. Odd, the screen usually shuts itself off overnight.

Wave of Consciousness

         Settling into the lab, Keelan started looking over the six blooming plants he had growing in the center of the room. All females and all at different stages of bloom. A continuous cycle one may say. Clipping a few browning leaves and smelling a few healthy ones, he sat down at his desk and started readying his journals and instruments.
         Out of his peripheral he spotted a printout from the computer. As he picked it up and the fog that sat between his eyes and the paper began to clear, shock pierced through his soul sending ripples down his spine. What he sat looking at was a waveform printout from the nutrient rich mycelium receiver. An impulse discharged from the sample that created this type of waveform? “It’s…. impossible.” He muttered as deep in his mind, nothing’s impossible echoed over and over. “What could it be?” He started to ask himself questions aloud.
         He had brought himself to the edge of his seat, exhilarated with excitement. He needed to relax and look at it from all angles. Could it have been me talking in the greenhouse? Could it be a radio broadcast that somehow penetrated this deep?
         Trying to access the deepest recesses of his mind to discover what this recording could possibly be, running it over and over. When he had finally exhausted all he could conjure within himself his thoughts turned to one of his old professor’s at the University of Victoria. Otis! He must know of something or someone that could help me decipher the message. As he wound up the stairway towards the light from the room above he had one thing on his mind. Contact Otis Beasley.
         When he pawed at the numbers on the phone the line began to ring followed by a faint click. Otis never leaves his office when he isn’t teaching. He practically sleeps there… Pick up! The line rang until the Universities answering machine came on for Mr. Beasley.
         “Otis! It’s your old friend Keelan. Long time no talk, I know, but I have come across something that I think you need to see. I have begun work with a different sample in my receivers and I have come across a signal I cannot decipher myself. The printout resembles a speech pattern in a wave form but this was picked up through electrical discharges within a sample of Mycelium. You must know someone at the university that would be able to offer advice. Please contact me as soon as possible! I look forward to speaking with you old friend.”

***************

         In an adjoining room that lay connected to Otis’s office was a whiteboard. The board covered in an elaborate equation on water dynamics with just one last piece of the puzzle to be solved. A bald African American man, wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt stood crouched over, manically scratching more variables onto the board. His head whirled back to his office when he heard the phone ringing. What he was onto was far more important than anything else. He couldn’t derail his train of thought. He would deal with whatever had to be dealt with after. He heard it go to voicemail and continued on with his work.

********************

         Where could he be? Keelan thought as he walked back to his lab. What could it be?

Welcome Government

         As the evening sun faded to a blood red, Keelan sat above the crashing waves pondering what he had just received. The smoke rising from his gentle able fingers was elegantly twisting with the wind as the sun quickly pulled the last remnant of light over the horizon.

Keelan Morris
May 27, 2010
7:45 pm
A signal heard

         My research has seemed to have finally paid off. When I was last in my laboratory I stumbled across a printout from one of my new mycelium receivers stronger than any other I had received, much stronger. A wave pattern with a steady two second pulse, intertwined with what seemed like speech patterns unlike anything I have studied before. I will continue to try and decipher the message. Maybe reversing the wave form to an audible recording will prove results. I must get a hold of Otis. He must know something that will be able to help. Where could he be?
         I’m feeling this overwhelming excitement of what I could have come upon. Where can I find answers as to what it is? It’s funny how the body reacts to situations, the exotic feeling of chemicals reacting within. Will this prove to be some crude sort of communication with another species? Have I found one of the viable mediums for making the connection? Further exploration and understanding of the results must be conducted. Assumptions.... No.

**************

      From far off in the distance the ripples of a helicopter finally met him. Slowly the beats from the chopper grew nearer when the buzz of his intercom sounded from inside the house. He slowly hoisted himself to his feet and wandered back inside to see who had buzzed. Hope swelling up within that it was his old professor paying him a visit. Upon arrival to the intercom, a ripple of dread suddenly rushed down his spine. He watched in horror as a man in black conspicuously ran a wire from his phone into the gate terminal. No more than 15 seconds had passed before the gate mysteriously swung open and a convoy of black SUV's entered onto the property uninvited, moving ever closer to where he stood paralysed by confusion. When the fight or flight reaction occurred within, stricken with the sight and drawn on by shear panic he moved for his laboratory, vision tracing. At full stride he smashed through the door of his greenhouse and went straight to the basement. He was back running through the house with a backpack containing the receiver and message before the minute had passed. When he wound up the stairs and let the flood of the outside world in, the beats of the chopper were almost directly above the house. The convoy must be right outside. Gripping the bag as tightly as he could, he took a step into the darkness and ran for the nearby shelter of trees.

Close the Distance

        Keelan watched in panic from behind the shadow of an old pine as five SUV’s came to a screeching halt at his front door. The men filed out of the vehicles wearing matching forest green uniforms with automatic rifles held at the ready. The onslaught of men rushed through his front door with groups going off around either sides of the house. The helicopter flew closely overheads, its illuminating light penetrating the night. They would know he wasn’t there very soon. They’ll start searching the woods… With those thoughts he pushed away from the tree and gained speed heading deeper into the surrounding forest.
         He had spent years walking these forests. He knew all the paths like the back of his hand. Every tree and root he could easily avoid. His feet seemed to be moving by some unknown force driving him onwards. He had to make it. With a strong step and a long leap he bounded over a nearly invisible stream. He heard a few rocks trickle in from the other side as he continued to run, holding his bag with white knuckles. The trees stood over him like shadowed onlookers, sheltering him from the piercing light above. He knew that the highway wouldn’t be far. He had been running head down for ten minutes and could hear the beats of the chopper rippling from afar. He saw lights pass in the distance, flickering as they passed behind the trunks of the dividing trees. Not many cars pass by these roads at night, I hope that wasn’t my only chance. Not willing to miss another he quickened his pace and with a careful watch approached the road. Being sure to keep a keen ear for the eyes in the sky.
         He stood just out of eyesight watching for any oncoming traffic. Asking questions of what had just happened. Who could have broken into his home. What they could have been looking for. Who they were. Why such force. Just as his heart began to calm to a normal pulse he saw a light flicker through some trees a few turns away. Timidly creeping out of the trees he neared the road. With no way to alert the driver, Keelan began wildly waving his arms on the side of the road, hoping to catch the drivers attention before he had passed. As the speeding car approached, not seeming to slow down, Keelan stepped out onto the road. The trees to the rear of the car lit up red and the silence was broken by gripping tires. The car came at a considerable pace towards Keelan and at the last moment he leapt out of the way towards the ditch.
         When the car came to a halt, the BMW door swung open and a well kept blonde haired man stepped out, immaculately clad in a tan pinstriped suit. Curses followed thrown violently in the direction of Keelan but they didn’t phase him at all. He quickly ran to the passenger side door and coolly slipped in.
         “Oh no you don’t! Get the hell out of there! I’m on my way to the city.”
         “Please sir you must give me a ride into town. I will get out anywhere that is most convenient for you but I must get this ride, I MUST, please. We have to leave now!” His eyes darting, scanning, scared.
         Seeing the panic and urgency of the strangers eyes, the driver began to sense some truth about this person. “You stepped out into the middle of the road in the black of night. Are you crazy man!? You could have been killed!”
         “I am completely aware of that but this seems to be extremely urgent.”
“I’m heading for a late meeting at the parliament, I can drop you off there if you need… May I ask what is exactly going on?”
         “Thank you but I think the less you know the better.”
         As they drove down the coastline, Keelan sat watching the moonlight reflecting off the swells of the ocean. They wound down the road in silence until more lights began building on the horizon. It wasn’t long then until they were parking behind the parliament.
         “I cannot even begin to thank you enough. I am positive you somehow saved my life back there, for the time being at least. Be careful tonight.”
         “Not a worry, I’m glad I could help. I hope that you find what you are looking for. You must take care of yourself. It seems you have much to loose.”
         “I will and I do, all though I do not know the extent quite yet. Thanks again. Take care.”
         “You too”
         He stood surrounded by light. The inner harbour was dead still in the night and the ivy covered walls of the empress stood strong in the distance. It only took one question to a bus driver parked nearby to figure out the route to the University. The bus arrived where and when the driver said it would and he climbed aboard. Knowing he was only a short ride away from figuring out a little more to the puzzle. His mind hadn’t slowed since he had received the signal and now was no exception. Questions floated unanswered through his mind the entire course of the ride, only noticing the blurred lights that barrelled past the exterior of the bus.

***************

      The university bookstore shone brightly over the bus stop as he stepped out, clutching the bag to his chest. He was only footsteps away from Otis’s office and that was the one and only place you could find the professor. He moved on with an increased pace, legs stretching as far as they could to get him where he needed to be. He rounded the last corner before stepping down the steps and into the dim science building, his clean shoes squeaking on the floor with every step down the waxed hallway. He rounded the stairs before the 3rd floor and walked straight through the large doors. The floor lighting was turned off leaving an eerie feeling that lingered in the stale air. Taking strides down the hall to the corner and it’s the first door on the left. There was no answer when his knock broke the silence. He paused for a second with his hand on the doorknob, then questioningly pushed open the door.



End of the line

      A blinding light flashed out from the darkness temporarily blinding Keelan’s eyes. The only thing he could do was raise his forearms to block his face but it was no use. The light had already enveloped his retinas. It took a few moments for the light scars to begin to fade. What he saw made him petrify in fear. Four fully automatic weapons aimed directly at him. He could see down the barrel of each one.
      Sweat dripping down his temple, trembling in fear from the stable guns. “Woah, woah, woah. What do you want from me?”
      From the darkness behind the four military men stepped a man clad in a finely tailored black suit with piercing blue eyes that seemed to be assessing every thought that passed through his mind. 
      “Where is Otis?”
      “Your friend has just had a breakthrough in water dynamics and wasn't in his office when we arrived.” The blue eyed man let a few moments pass; moments seeming as if time stood still. His penetrating eyes held no semblance of any emotion. “It has come to our attention that you have received a signal from a biological receiver; a receiver that you yourself have created. You were on your way here to show Mr. Beasley, were you not? Do you have it on you now?”
      “Yes”
      “Very well, we were ordered to locate you by General Olexsyn of the 19 Wing Comox division, to the north. He would like to have a word with you. The helicopter that will be taking us there will be arriving shortly. We have no more details for you at this time. If you will lead us outside.”
As they walked out the doors of the science building the beats of the chopper were bellowing overhead. The wind beat down upon them like a liquid-less waterfall. It hovered and set down on a grassy knoll in front of the building. Ordered in at gunpoint, the vessel abruptly lifted and banked left heading northward.
      Thoughts were racing through Keelan’s mind faster than he could process. Under normal circumstances he would have enjoyed the flight north. But here he sat flying into the darkness; into a situation he was completely unaware of. How could these people have known of my contact with Otis all ready? What did I give away on the phone call that could have warranted such an offensive raid? What on Earth have I stumbled upon? Where are they taking me? He had no choice in the matter. Automatons with guns sat just inches away.
        With all the internal chaos, the half hour flight seemed to pass in mere minutes. He just sat motionless watching the blank masses of land and sea pass quickly underneath them. From the looks of the lights darting off into the distance, the helicopter was landing next to a runway. As fast as he was ordered on, he was forced back out the door. No sooner did his head pass the edge of the blades, the helicopter lifted and flew off to continue surveillance.
      He scanned the moonlit tarmac groping his bag, ordered towards the control tower in the distance. Fuelled by adrenaline from the past events he strode on towards the building. He stood gazing up at the tower looming overhead while the blue eyed man swiped his card and led them into the building. The walk through the gloomy dark foyer ended at a pair of elevators with guards positioned on either side.
      The gold doors opened in front of them and just he and the blue eyed man stepped forward. When the doors shut tight, the blue eyed man swiped his card and pressed ct/r. A small jolt started the ascent.
      “What does the General need me for? What does he know about any sort of biological message?” questioned Keelan.
      “Those are questions better saved for the General.”
        The doors slid open not to the front as they had closed but behind them. What stood before them was a breathtaking sight. The control station was encased in a giant glass panelled sphere that sat atop the tower. The sphere was split vertically into two symmetric parts. One half being the control station that overlooked the runway, and the other half was the Generals quarters. The General sat working at a solid mahogany desk lit only by a lamp. He wore the cliché military garb riddled with an assortment of medals. His greying hair pulled back off his face showing a small scar on his right cheekbone. Just below the outer corner of his eye. Eerily, the crescent moon and stars shone through the glass above them.
      The blue eyed man caught the Generals eye and flicked on the lights.
      “Please take a seat.” said the General with a deep raspy voice, motioning only with his eyes to the seats in front of him.
      “What do you want from me? What is so pressing to the military to allow...”
      “Keelan Morris I presume?” His hand raised in apology for the interruption. “Will you please allow me to explain myself? I will give you answers to any questions you may have after I explain.”
Keelan slumped back into his seat.
      “I must apologize for the force used to bring you here but we have always liked to keep breakthroughs of this magnitude under very close surveillance. We can't risk this going public until we have answers to what exactly we have stumbled upon. We got word of your conversation with Otis Beasley from our communications division. We have always had sensitive filters for cases of this nature. We have been following your work for some time but nothing much has been heard of late.”
      “I have been too busy with work to have any time for writing.”
      “We have had scientists working on similar research as your own and they have been coming to a rather startling conclusion. They seem to have been getting a slight electrical pulse from plants similar to that of morose code. Although, what they seem to be translating into is a form of SOS. It seems that only recently the impulses have strengthened. It’s as though they are asking for help. When we heard that you had come across a signal we had to see what you had received and cross reference it with our own data. Have you brought it with you?”
      As Keelan bent down to retrieve the printout he was stopped by the raspy voice of the General.
      “I don’t need to see it. I wouldn’t be able to see any sense in any of it; just glad that you have it. Would you mind coming for a little trip with us?”
      “Where exactly will we be going? Well I guess I haven’t known where I have been going anytime tonight, why should this be any different?”
      “Not very far at all, you will be very… taken back, I’m sure.”
      Keelan could see the hint of a smile on the Generals face.

A world unknown

         Keelan found himself again soaring through the night’s sky towards some unknown destination. Sitting beside him was the blue eyed man and the General. The only sounds were the vibrations from the spinning blades overhead. As confused as he was, this flight was a lot more enjoyable than the previous. Silently watching the yellow star of lights scattered far below. Even from this height he could see the moonlight rippling off the ocean. Grasping to find peace in amidst the rapid procession of events that had recently passed he turned to images of blonde hair. He could see her beautiful
blue eyes smiling back at him, he could feel her surrounding him. At last he found his moment of peace. The air around them seemed to calm and the turbulence was beginning to fade away. He could again feel his hearts pulse forcing blood to circulate throughout his body, just enjoying the feeling of a breath.
         The lights below fell away and the darkness of the ocean and moonlight were the only to be seen. It seemed to stretch on for miles as they flew further out over the black abyss below them. When out of the moonlight a dark kidney shaped mass rose out of the water. A single star shone from the edge of the shore and the helicopter seemed to be descending upon it quickly. When the area came closer to view he could make out a faint grass landing lit from a tall perch, a lone beacon in the night. When they were hovering over the island he could make out the shape of a beach, sheltered in a bay on the inside of the island, hidden from the battering weather of the ocean. A sailboat was tethered to a dock on the far side of the beach. He could barely distinguish the shadow of trees along the moonlit horizon when they set down on the padded grass.
         When the door slid open, the wind broke in blowing the hair off his face. He followed the general out onto the grass and out of reach of the stretching blades. The pilot turned off the engine and stepped out. The four of them stood waiting on the shore of this foreign island when a man stepped out from a dark hidden path. He seemed healthy for his age but looked to be pressing his late 60’s. His eyes held years of wisdom, question in every glance. He was in his bare feet and his khaki pants dangled down to the ground. A smile from ear to ear crossed his tanned face.
         “Hello hello, It’s been awhile Colin.” said the newcomer shaking the Generals hand.
         “It certainly has Sol, too long. I have brought along somebody that I think you should meet. Keelan Morris, Keith Sullivan, Keith is a…”
         “The Keith Sullivan? The ethnobotanist?” Gasped Keelan rather taken back.
         “I guess my name precedes me. But everyone calls me Sol.”
         “Great to finally meet you. I have read just about every paper you have written. You’ve been a great inspiration to me my entire career.” 
         “Well I think you are going to find this island a little to your liking. I have read some of your publications as well. We have been conducting some very similar research here on the island.”
         “Where exactly are we?”
         “On a small island off the west coast of Vancouver Island, north of Tofino. The location and climate allow us to grow practically every species in the natural air. We harvest all the food necessary to satisfy a very healthy routine. On the west end of the island, at its highest point, we have constructed a large greenhouse where we have been conducting all of our lab experiments.”
“The island can house and feed three people comfortably. During the off season I am the only one maintaining the island, so welcome! It's always nice to have company, it gets a little lonely out here when one only has plants to communicate with.” Sol had started walking into the dark forest while he was talking, leading the way towards a few dim lights seen through the massive trunks. “I’ll take you to the house; it’s time for a bit of rest. We can finish the rest of the explaining tomorrow. I’ll show you around the island in the morning.”
         Sol led the three men up the dark winding path further into the island. Settling into the room he was given, exhausted from the days events. His reality turned to blackness before his head hit the pillow.


Botanical Island

         When his eyelids slowly spread the sun was illuminating particles suspended in the air causing shafts of lights to dance across the room. He could hear birds singing outside the window as the smell of breakfast sprung to his senses. He noticed clothes laid out on the chair and he comfortably slipped them on.
         The stairs descended into the kitchen and he was greeted by Sol efficiently cooking eggs and beans, steam rising over his shoulders.
         “I hope your stomach’s ready for a sturdy breakfast there Keelan. This will get you ready for the day!”
         “Oh it’s ready! So you were saying that you produce all this food right here on the island? I look forward to the tour. Where are the General and the man in the suit?”
         “They left as the sun broke over the horizon this morning. Pressing issues back on the island I suppose.”
      As the two of them finished their breakfast in silence, enjoying the subtleties of a healthy home cooked meal, Sol rose and took the dishes to the sink.
      “Keelan, I think it's time for you to see what we have been up to on the island.”
      As a smile broke upon his face Keelan replied “ Precisely what I have been waiting for.”
      They walked together out of the house, Sol in his bare feet.
      “Don't believe in shoes there Sol?”
      “If you had any idea of how the plastic soles of your shoes disconnects you from the earth you wouldn't either. It practically stops the entire flow of energy between you and your mother. Could a baby survive in the whom without the sustenance from the umbilical cord? Just give it a thought.”
Waiting for Sol to begin walking up the path, Keelan quickly and quietly kicked off his shoes and followed.
      Seeing the island with the light of the sun was an experience entirely different than the ending of last nights erratic events. The island seemed so small in the darkness of night compared to the details he could make out now. It almost seemed as if every plant on the island were different. A botanists amusement park he thought to himself following Sol up the winding mulch path. He couldn't stop himself from feeling like the child he once was, walking through a forest in his bare feet, noticing a plant he never had before. Everything seemed new, his senses tingled.
      “I.... I can't believe my own eyes.”
      “It's been a long road but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. 15 years ago I remember myself, shovel in hand, creating this very path we are walking up right now.”
      “You have been here since the beginning?”
      “It was my idea from the get go. I just had to convince someone to bring the funding to the table.”
      “It truly is breathtaking.”
      “Hah, you haven't seen anything yet.”
      They rounded the last corner of the trail and walked over a small stone bridge spanning the gap of a stream that trickled down the island to the fresh oasis below. What stood before them was the huge greenhouse. Shaped in an L formation with a few offices that broke the even canopy where the two portions met. Keelan could make out splashes of green shining through the translucent plastic walls. 
      “It's... beautiful.” Keelan muttered feeling speechless, staring awestruck at a greenhouse the likes of nothing previously in existence. The arched metal skeleton had opened the top panels to let fresh air flow through the building. Seeming to tear the plastic from the walls they were attached to. Gusts of ocean air pushed the hair off his face revealing his childlike eyes.
They walked towards the large doors where the office sat overhead. Pshhh, when they got close enough the doors opened in front of them. Keelan could see a spiral staircase along the back wall that led to the floor above.
      “How about a little tour before I take you up to show you the results I have been receiving? Seeing the excitement on Keelans face and the lack of any type of answer was answer enough.
They turned left in front of the stairs and a long plastic hallway cut straight through the centre of this portion of greenhouse; extending all the way to the far wall that lay 200 ft away. Doorways cut into the hallway opposite each other every 20 ft.
      “This section of the greenhouse has been devoted to tests on soil properties and effects of external stimuli on plant growth.”
      As they casually walked down the hall peering into the doors as they passed by, Keelan thought he must be dreaming. All of these experiments being conducted under one roof! And under the supervision of one man! This is incredible. He saw plants watching television, he heard plants listening to music, he saw similar plants where one had grown to 8 ft tall and the other reaching a maximum of 3 ft, both plants seeded at the same time. Soil, the mother of growth he thought to himself. He noticed replications of the measuring devices designed by a Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose testing the effects of growth and plant reactions. They walked down and back while Sol explained everything about what they were seeing. He knew every detail about every experiment. This type of research would have taken a lifetime for the average individual and Keelan was seeing with his own eyes every test being done simultaneously by one man.
      When they returned to the entrance foyer, they crossed and entered the right section of the greenhouse. A thick clear door slid open in front of them. The same layout as the opposing side but only half the length.
      “ Now this is where I believe you may not ever want to leave.” mocked Sol with a genuine smile and soft wink. “We have had to install a double wall system with thicker plastic on this side to inhibit any type of exterior noise interfering with our experiments. Every room will have it's own door to keep the experiments sealed off from one another. You would have never guessed what we have discovered. All though separate from one another, each plant feels what the other senses. If one plant is in danger they will all react. Do you see the implications of this? All plants, are connected, not just with plants but with everything else on the planet. All life is in some kind of balance with one another. If an ant drowns outside the plants will mourn it's death. It is unbelievable, the complexity of what we take advantage of every day.”
      They just stood at the doorway looking down the fleeting hall. “Sadly I am in the middle of an experiment as we speak and I won't be able to show you any of the rooms quite yet but follow me, I have something even more interesting for you to see.”
      They wound up the stairway at the back of the foyer to the second level of offices that perched overhead. When they stepped into Sol's office the walls were covered in printouts, from the roof to floor illuminated by the beating sun shining through the window on the opposing wall. All the papers had slightly different readings but they all resembled what sat casually in his bag back at the house. There was a large desk tucked into the corner and sitting upon it was a plant clamped into a polygraph machine.
      “We have had the worlds best analysts and code-breakers trying to work through these forms to no avail. Only recently have we began to see the similarities between these read-outs and morose code. We believe the plants are beginning to ask for our help. The signal just keeps getting stronger and stronger. We are having to tame down the sensitivities of our machines due to the signal going right off the page.”
      “Probably why I have just started to receive the signal...”
      “We have been working on our amplifiers for years now, I don't think we would have ever made it this far without them. Say Keelan, how would you like to hunker down here on the island and help me out with some of the experiments for the summer?”
      “Me? I..... Really me?...... It would be an honor Sol.”
      “Done and done.”

All To Hear

         The summer flew by like pollen in the wind and before he knew it the leaves of the trees had started to transform into a beautiful bouquet of reds, yellows and everything in between. The signal had been growing in intensity by day until it seemed to be reaching a point where the plants may just open and speak to anyone that would listen. He had learned so much working under Sol for the summer and didn't want the time to end.
         On the night of August 10th Sol and Keelan sat at the table sharing an amazing island meal when they both started to feel as if being watched. As if there was a looming being cradling the core of the earth. It started very softly, a female voice that seemed to be emanating from all matter. The voice echoed through the atmosphere, encompassing the essence of everything. All across the globe the motion of existence seized. Everything and everyone listened.
         
      “Hello people of Earth. I have been watching you since the birth of mankind. Observing the way you have evolved. How your tree of knowledge has formed. The process of your peoples has been an incredible miracle to witness in its entirety. I see the beauty and compassion in the underlying consciousness of your kind. However you have begun to become unaware of what is important in this life. Potential within the body and mind that reach beyond the furthest stretches of your imagination. And yet, you are blind, you have neglected the systems most vital to the survival of your home in your enduring lust for power. You have begun to alter the balance of your planet in an ever increasing way. The frequency of which the earth resonates has begun to change dramatically causing fluctuations in the flow of energy throughout....  Your planet is dying.”
         “I have watched you erect dividers between your branches of science, turning one against the other. What you must learn is that to understand the context of one you must consider the whole. There is an underlying equilibrium between all that exists. The changes of the Earths resonance has been slowly affecting the resonance of your DNA, as well as the DNA of all life on Earth. You must nurture the knowledge that you have already come to understand but be open to any new areas of enquiry. Knowledge will forever be constantly evolving. You must open your minds to this fact for it is the only way you will be able to embrace this shift in consciousness.” 
      “You have begun to treat nature as your inferior when in all reality it is the one thing that sustains life on Earth. Your population is completely unaware of what is happening to the major life force of your planet. You must again begin to reach out to the  natural world. Within lay the secrets of life, existence, creation, and the entire universe. By pushing the boundaries of the mind, evolution is imminent. You must delve into yourselves to achieve a new perception of the reality that exists around you. You have forced upon yourselves a chance; a chance to learn to adapt to any circumstance imperative for survival. It will be a necessary course to insure the vitality of the planet.”
      “The course that follows will be a test to the core spirit of man. The lessons that must be learned are very apparent yet not easily acted upon. Only when one is pushed to the brink, will they find the capacity for change. You must look within yourself to find the will. Please stop your cruel behaviour. There is no need for war. Mankind must learn to lower your weapons of greed and power to stand together. This is what that course has ultimately brought upon you. Learning from your mistakes is the only way to ensure your survival. I will be your guidance through these unknown times but only when and if your kind undertakes this global shift of the mind. Do not panic. Embrace the silence.”
      As the hypnotizing voice faded from existence, the lights of the world blinked out. All flow of electricity seized. All engines failed. All inorganic motion stopped. The only light to be seen across the globe, were the lightning strikes from atmospheric storms and the fires that blazed in the night. The Earth was encompassed by silence.