Five Million Unit Free Credits

One Million Unit Free Credits

     Francin couldn’t stop his uncontrollable outrageous laughter. He doubled over he’s laughing so hard. “It’s not that funny.”

     “I know it’s not Narria. You know me. Once I get started laughing I can’t stop.” Francin didn’t stop laughing. In between words he kept laughing.

     “Just look at him. He bobs his head out of that hole once a year for a few seconds. And depending on what he sees we either have ten more weeks of bad weather or twenty.”

     Francin finally stopped laughing. “That’s why I’m laughing. It’s so funny. He’s wrong half the time.”

     “He’s wrong a lot more than that. I read, or was it heard, whatever it is, it must be heard since I don’t read that much, he’s wrong seven out of ten times.”

     “I know. But what can we do about it. The answer to that is there’s nothing we can do.”

     “There’s got to be something someone can do. There has to be another way to predict the future of our weather. You are a Public Media Male. Why don’t you come up with a solution to this problem?”

     “It’s not exactly a problem. But I agree something needs to be done. I just don’t know what I can do about it.”

     Narria and Francin didn’t speak for several minutes. They just stared at the News Monitor in front of them. Francin started bobbing his head up and down trying to stay awake listening to what was being said on that monitor.

     Suddenly his head snapped up so fast it sounded like something broke from within. “Maybe I do have an idea about what to do about the weather.”

Midday the next day

     The next morning Narria sat watching the News Monitor – when her eyes practically popped out of her head. Francin appeared on that monitor. He sat behind a large desk getting ready to speak. “That’s why he left so early this morning. I wonder if this is his solution to the weather problem? Is this the reason he stayed up all night working on it?”

     Before he started to speak Francin cleared his throat. “Some of you might know me from this territory. But most of you don’t. My name is Francin Kawvont. And I’m here today to speak to you about something I think we have a problem with. It’s not exactly a problem. But it is something, I think, we need to solve.”

     Francin paused for a few seconds to catch his breath. “The day before today we learned we are going to have ten more weeks of bad weather. But we don’t know if that’s going to be true or not. I guess we will have to wait ten weeks to find out.”

     Narria leaned forward. Her hands on her face. And her elbows on her knees. “I don’t want to wait. I’m tired of waiting to see if he’s right or not. But what can I, we, do about that. I think I have come up with a very profitable way to do just that.”

     “What we need is another way to predict the weather. We can’t do any worse that what he’s been doing for almost five hundred years. I know it hasn’t been the say one. There has been about fifty of them. But I think you know what I mean.”

     “your babbling again. You always do that when you are nervous.” Narria replied when Francin took another pause.

     “I’ve come up with a way to do it. I think that’s why they asked me to tell you this idea. That way if it bombed then I’m the dead male – not them.”

     “You are doing it again. Calm down.”

     “I contacted the Weather Predictors. It took me all night and most of this morning. But I got through. And they agree with my solution. Over the next eight months there is going to be a challenge. Whoever comes up with a better way to predict the weather will get five million Unit Free Credits.”

A half a year later

     Narria and Francin sat in the Living Area of their residence watching the News Monitor. “You never told me. Every time I asked you changed the subject. Is Valore as pretty in person as everyone says she is?”
“You are a lot pretty than her. Now please be quit. I think she’s about to announce the winner of the Weather Challenge.”

     Valore shuffled some papers in her hand before she looked up and began to speak. “The Weather Predictor Committee have finally come to their decision on the winner of the Weather Challenge. And the winner is Pollick Thaim.”

     After a few seconds of silence Valore continued. “The solution he came up with was a weather machine. Actually it’s a weather controlling satellite. It will cost about a billion Credits to make. But not only will it help our island to predict the weather it can help all of Jappom. Not only will it be able to predict the weather it can to control it too. Just think of the possibilities. Rain on islands that have been without it for so long it’s killing them or where plants and animals need it be better feed our starving in some areas planet. In time Jappom could be a weather free planet.”