Here is my new Man from U.N.C.L.E.
fan fiction, written as an episode of the show and illustrated with
16 inch – 17 inch dolls. This time Illya is on assignment by
himself. It's my most ambitious effort yet. I hope you enjoy it. (Click on the photos to see a larger version of them.)
The Save the Earth
Affair
Act I: India's Hidden Treasure
September 1967
University of Maryland Campus
Striding across the University of
Maryland campus on the way to the Science Building, Illya Kuryakin
notices a student demonstration going on outside the Administration
Building. A change from the type of demonstration that had been seen
so often in recent years, these students are involved with the new
ecology movement.
Once in the Science Building, Illya
finds his way to the office of the professor who will tell him about
his next assignment.
Illya knocks on the office door. From
inside he hears a woman's voice.
Dr. Margaret Scully (DMS): Yes
– come in!
Illya Kuryakin (IK) (standing at
the threshold): Prof. Scully?
DMS: Yes, I'm Margaret Scully.
Please come in; I've been expecting you.
IK (entering the office): I'm
Illya Kuryakin from the U.N.C.L.E. I was told you would be giving me
the details of my next assignment.
DMS: Yes, that's right. You
may have noticed the demonstration going on outside the
Administration Building when you came on campus. Although the
ecology movement has been overshadowed by many other causes in recent
years, it's vitally important. Pollution in both the air and water
are starting to reach critical levels in many parts of the world.
For the past several years the Botany department here at the
university has been doing field studies in India to find rare orchid
species before they are wiped out due to forest clearing. One
species in particular has come as a pleasant surprise to us. Last
week I received test results from our lab confirming that this orchid
contains a naturally occurring chemical that can eliminate many
pollutants from water. If this chemical can be synthesized in large
quantities, and we believe it can, it will be a great asset in the
struggle against water pollution.
In the best of circumstances we have
problems reaching the mountainous temperate forests where these
orchids grow and finding as many of them as possible. But now there
is a bigger challenge. The only area where these grow is a remote
region in the northwest part of India that will be flooded and dammed
next week to make a reservoir for a new hydro-electric plant. This
orchid species will be wiped out in the flood.
The university has already contacted
the Indian government, explained the potential importance of the
orchid, and asked that the flooding of the area be delayed. But
government officials have said, no, the hydro-electric plant is too
important to the region economically to do that. This leaves us with
no choice but to return to India, save as many of the orchid plants
as can be found, and have them shipped back to the lab here at the
university before the area is flooded next week.
We also have a preliminary agreement
with the United Nations that it will provide the water pollution
control chemical, once it's synthesized, at low cost to any nation
that needs it. I've recently learned, though, that other people have
been asking about this rare orchid in the region where it grows.
These people work for companies that also want to synthesize the
pollution control chemical, but charge so much for it that many
countries that desperately need it won't be able to afford it.
This is why the U.N.C.L.E. has been
asked to help. I want to make sure everything goes as smoothly as
possible on this last trip, with no problems from poachers for the
scientist gathering the orchids.
At this point there is a knock on the
professor's office door.
DMS: Yes, come in.
Jessica Matthews (JM): Dr.
Scully, here are the lab reports you wanted.
DMS: Thanks, Jessica. Perfect
timing – I'd like you to meet Illya Kuryakin of the U.N.C.L.E.
Jessica and Illya exchange smiles and
“hello”.
DMS (to IK) : Because of the
unexpected timing of this trip to India, I won't be going. Jessica
is a doctoral candidate in biochemistry here and has been my primary
assistant on previous research trips I've made to this region. So,
she will be in charge of collecting the orchids and getting them
shipped to the U.S. I hope this will be an easy assignment for you,
Mr. Kuryakin. Maybe there won't be any problems, but I'm not willing
to take the chance. All arrangements for the trip have been made.
Here are the plane tickets for both of you. Your flight leaves
tonight at 11.
DMS (to JM): When you reach New
Delhi, you need to see Mr. Kapoor first for transportation to get you
to the mountains.
JM: OK, I remember where his
office is. Mr. Kuryakin, I suppose we'll get acquainted on that long
flight to India. I'll meet you tonight at 10:30 at the gate for the
flight.
IK (nodding,
with a smile): All right, I'll see you then.
DMS: I hope you have a
productive, safe trip. I'll see you both next week.
Act II: East to India
New Delhi, India
Indian Government Office
The next day, 4PM
Soon after their arrival in New Delhi,
India, Illya and Jessica meet with Dhimant Kapoor in the lobby of the
Indian government office where he is in charge of affairs concerning
the Uttarakhand state.
Dhimant Kapoor (DK): Thank you
for coming here so quickly after your arrival in India. I hope you
had a pleasant flight.
JM: Yes, the flight was fine,
but I'm not much of an international traveler. It's difficult for me
to sleep on the plane.
DK: And you, Mr. Kuryakin?
IK: I travel internationally so
often it's not a problem for me. I can sleep just about anywhere.
JM: Time is so short to save
the orchids, Mr. Kapoor. Dr. Scully said I should contact you about
transportation to this orchid's region as soon as we arrived in
India.
DK: When I was contacted about
your trip, I arranged for the pilot of a small private plane to take
you to the region, at least as far as a plane can go and find a flat
place to land. That area is so mountainous you'll need to drive the
rest of the way, about 110 km (68 mi.) which will take close to 2
hours, considering the roads there. On Dr. Scully's recommendation,
I contacted the U.N.C.L.E. office here in New Delhi to secure a Jeep
for you. A man from the local U.N.C.L.E. office will drive a Jeep,
including the camping supplies, and rendezvous with you where the
plane lands in Dehradun. This should save you a considerable amount
of time. The pilot's name is Joe Parsons. He'll be meeting you
tomorrow morning at 6AM in the lobby of your hotel.
JM: It sounds like you've
thought of everything, Mr. Kapoor. Thank you.
DK: I'm happy to do anything I
can to help. I realize that the new hydro-electric plant and its dam
are important for the progress of that region, but losing these
species of rare plants is so disheartening. I'm very glad that your
university in America is making an effort to save them.
New Delhi, India
Hotel Lobby
Second day in India, 6AM
“Texas Joe” Parsons (TJP):
Mr. Kur-y-akin, Miss Matthews?
IK: Yes, that's us. You must
be Joe Parsons.
TJP: That's right, Texas Joe at
your service. I see y'all packed light. That's good 'cause there
won't be a lotta room in my plane for the three of us and much
luggage. The camping gear gonna be with the Jeep?
IK: Yes, that's what we were
told.
TJP: Well then, let's head over
to my plane and get started. It won't take long to drive to the
airfield from here.
Dehradun, India
Airfield
Two hours later, 8AM
TJP: That's all your stuff from
the plane. I'll be back right here in six days. Want to get in the
air to New Delhi by the time they start flooding the valley. Don't
know what kinda commotion that's gonna cause.
IK: The flooding is due to
start at 1PM that day. So, we'll see you then.
TJP: OK, sounds good.
As soon as Texas Joe left, Illya turned
his attention to the young probationary U.N.C.L.E. agent who had
driven the Jeep and camping gear from New Delhi to the small airfield
in Dehradun.
IK: Is everything set to go?
Probationary U.N.C.L.E. Agent (PUA):
Yes, sir. The Jeep has been checked out by the motor pool and has
new equipment installed that could be helpful going to an isolated
area - an auxiliary gas tank and run-flat tires.
IK: Good. I'm glad the New
Delhi office thought of adding those. I suppose you heard the
pilot. We'll be back here in six days to drop off the Jeep.
PUA: Yes, sir, I heard. I'll
be here.
By this time Jessica has put their
luggage in the back of the Jeep and they start driving to the
isolated Indian village that is closest to the where the rare orchids
grow. There they will meet with Medha Singh, the matriarch of a
prominent family in the village. She has been very helpful to Dr.
Scully on previous trips to the region to research rare plants there.
Isolated Indian Village
Home of Medha Singh
Two hours later, 10AM
Medha Singh (MS) (palms
together, slight bow): Namaste, Mr. Kuryakin, Jessica.
IK and JM (each has their
palms together, giving a slight bow): Namaste.
MS: Welcome to my home!
Jessica, it is so nice to see you again. Would you both care for
tea?
IK and JM: Yes, thank
you.
MS: Jessica, how is Margaret
Scully? Well, I hope.
JM: Yes, she's fine. This trip
was planned so quickly she couldn't change her schedule to come. She
put me in charge this time since she knew I was familiar with the
area and the project.
MS: I am sure you will do quite
well. I am so dismayed at the thought of our valley being flooded
for the new dam. My family has lived in this area for many
generations. To know that so much of our history, our land will be
under water in a few days is very disturbing. I know I am fortunate
that this town will not be flooded and the government tells us this
hydro-electric plant will help the region, but it still saddens me.
The only bright spot I see is that your
university will keep our orchids from being lost forever. In her
most recent letter Dr. Scully told me these orchids contain a very
useful chemical that may help rid the world of pollution. This is
wonderful news. Those plants will be this area's legacy. There is a
song in this area: "Maatu hamru, paani hamru, hamra hi
chhan yi baun bhi... Pitron na lagai baun, hamunahi ta bachon bhi"
It means, “Soil ours, water ours, ours are these forests. Our
forefathers raised them, it’s we who must protect them.”*
I will not keep you any longer. I know
you and Mr. Kuryakin have much work to do. I must warn you, though,
recently some strangers have come through the village asking for
directions to where the orchids grow. Dr. Scully asked that no one
here let these people know where to find the orchids and we have not.
But that's not to say they won't be able find them anyway. Please be
careful.
IK: Thank you for the warning.
We'll remain alert while we're in this area.
After sharing the traditional parting
of “namaste”, Illya and Jessica leave Mrs. Singh's home to
buy their provisions for the week at a nearby store. By early
afternoon, their camp is set up and Jessica is gathering orchids in
the forest that will be packed and shipped by truck to Dehradun for
air shipment to the U.S.
Act III: Five Days of Boredom, Five
Hours of Terror
Camp in India
Five days later, midday
IK (smiling): I believe this
has been the most relaxing U.N.C.L.E. assignment I've ever had.
Except for carrying the orchids from the forest and packing them for
the trucks to take to Dehradun, I've had time to catch up on my
reading. And you're an excellent chess player as well. So I'm
certainly not complaining. It's been a nice change of pace, really.
I enjoy the outdoors. Now, the only way my colleague, Napoleon,
would enjoy this assignment would be if this were a luxury resort
instead of a back country camp.
JM: Well, we leave for home
tomorrow. Let's hope your assignment stays relaxing. I still have
one section of the forest I need to check for plants this afternoon.
I noticed when we finished lunch we're out of some food we'll need
for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. Could you go to the
village this afternoon and get these things?
IK: OK, what do we need?
JM: We need some basmati rice,
madua (buck wheat), apples, ghee, and tea.
IK: Please be alert out in the
forest this afternoon. We've been lucky so far, but there could
still be trouble.
JM: I will. I only have one
more area to cover.
After buying their needed supplies at
the village store, Illya heads back to the Jeep that he parked on a
nearby side street. He gets in, turns the ignition and – nothing.
“Great! Now what?,” he thinks.
As soon as he checks under the hood, he
finds the problem. The distributor cap is gone – one of the oldest
and easiest ways to disable a vehicle. Fortunately, Medha Singh
lives near here.
MS: I sent my neighbor's son to
bring a mechanic here to repair your Jeep.
IK: Thank you. I appreciate
your help.
MS: It is very unfortunate this
happened, but I am glad it has given me the opportunity to speak with
you today. I learned a few hours ago that one of the villagers told
the strangers where the orchids grow. They had threatened to burn
down his house if he did not tell them and he was very frightened. I
know that you and Jessica are leaving tomorrow, but, in the meantime,
you must be extra vigilant. I fear the damage to your vehicle was
caused by one of these men.
(looking out her window) I see the boy
has returned with the mechanic. I hope there will be no more trouble
and you and Jessica have a safe journey home. (palms together,
slight bow) Namaste.
JM: Illya, what happened? What
took so long? Are you all right?
IK: Yes, yes, I'm fine.
Someone stole the distributor cap off the Jeep while I was in the
store. I walked to Mrs. Singh's home and she was able to get a
mechanic who, fortunately, had a distributor cap that fit the Jeep.
If he hadn't had one, we'd be in a bad situation. Have you seen
anything or anyone unusual around camp or in the forest?
JM: No.
IK: Mrs. Singh told me that a
villager was threatened and told the poachers where the orchids grow.
I'm glad you're finished with the project and we're leaving
tomorrow.
JM: I wanted to talk to you about that.
This afternoon in the forest I came across a variety of orchid I've
never seen before. I didn't take time to examine it closely because
it was late and I was already heading back to camp. I know we have
to be out of here before the flooding starts tomorrow, but I want to
get up early, go back to those orchids, and see if they're something
I should take back to the university.
IK: Jessica, I don't like that
idea. It could be dangerous.
JM: Oh, I doubt it. I think
we're the only ones still in the area that's going to be flooded.
Everyone else has already left. The poachers probably feel like
they've run out of time. Even if they know where the orchids grew,
we've shipped most of them back to the university. Look, for
tonight, let's just eat, get a good night's sleep, and talk about
this more in the morning, OK?
IK (hesitantly): OK.
The first gray light of dawn seemed to
arrive quickly the next morning for the U.N.C.L.E. agent and the
biochemist. Much needs to be done before they can head to the
rendezvous with Texas Joe and his plane. During breakfast Jessica
again made her case for going back to the forest just one more time.
JM: Really, Illya, I'm sure
I'll be fine. I think we're the only ones left out here. I don't
even hear the usual birds in the forest this morning. Everything
must be sensing that something's up. This is the only chance to save
a plant species that has never been recorded before. It'll be wiped
out this afternoon. I know exactly where I saw it yesterday evening.
I'll put it in the gunnysack and be right back in plenty of time to
leave. You can start breaking camp and I'll be back before you
finish, I promise.
IK: I still don't feel good
about this, Jessica, and it goes against my better judgment, but all
right - go. You must come back as soon as you get that plant,
though. There's no time for further research.
IK: Be back by 9:30 or I'll
come looking for you!
JM: I'll be back way before
then. Don't be such a worrywart!
Jessica didn't have any trouble finding
the rare, unknown orchid she saw on her way back to camp yesterday
evening. While she was in the forest collecting these last few
plants to save them from extinction, Illya was busy breaking camp.
9:30 AM
IK (to himself): Camp's broken,
everything packed and ready to go. Now, where's Jessica? She said
she'd be back by now - “way before” now in her words. Hope she's
all right and just lost track of the time. I shouldn't have let her
go. But going back to get that last rare plant was so important to
her, I hated to disappoint her. I hope my indulgent decision hasn't
put her in harm's way. I need to look for her.
Illya sets off into the forest in the
direction Jessica headed when she left camp. About every 30 seconds
he calls out, “Jessica! Jess!” No response. In fact, he hears
nothing; the forest is eerily quiet, like Jessica said this morning.
About a mile into the woods he sees an old abandoned shack. It must
have been someone's home long ago. This time when he calls out
Jessica's name he hears a very muffled voice,
“Mmffh!..mmffh!!...mmffh!!!”, getting louder and more urgent.
The voice was coming from the shack. Illya made his way through the
thick underbrush to the old abandoned building. When he looked
through the window, he saw Jessica alone, tied up, sitting on the
floor, her hands tied behind her back, a gag in her mouth. Then
everything went black.
While Illya was temporarily distracted
looking at Jessica through the window, the poacher sneaked up behind
him and hit him on the head with a small log from the forest,
knocking him out. When he woke up, dazed and with a bad headache, he
was in the shack. The poacher had almost finished tying him to
Jessica arm–to-arm, back-to-back on the floor.
Poacher: Wish I had more rope.
This'll have to do. Didn't think anybody would be left out here.
And you, sir, don't get a gag. No matter – you can yell all you
want. There's nobody left to hear you. Besides, you and the lady
will drown in a few hours when this whole forest floods. Ha, ha, ha!
The poacher then leaves the shack,
barring the door outside as he goes. Illya waited until he was sure
the poacher had left before he spoke.
IK: Jessica, are you OK?
Jessica nods yes.
IK: I think I know a way for us
to get out of this. We're going to stand up together first. We'll
bend our knees and push our backs against each other in unison. When
I count to three, push against my back and try to stand up; I'll do
the same. OK, ready... one...two...three!!
The deep tread on the soles of their
heavy boots gave both of them the traction they needed to stand up on
the rough, worn floor of the shack.
IK: OK, now we move between the
table and the window over there. You face the window. I'm going to
brace myself against the table. And I'm going to lift you off the
floor onto my back. When your feet are even with the window, kick
the glass as hard as you can. Give it all you've got! Let's see
what those gigantic tall boots of yours can do.
Once Jessica's feet were even with the
window, she put her left foot on the wall for support so she could
kick harder with her right foot. Between her heavy boot and all the
adrenaline coursing through her body, the glass broke out of the
window after only a few kicks.
IK: All right! Now we need to
move as close as we can to that window frame that held the glass. It
looks like it's quite sharp.
After carefully maneuvering their tied
arms against the window frame, quickly moving the rope up and down on
the sharp edge had them free in a matter of minutes. Finally without
her gag Jessica could speak.
JM: Are you OK? That was a
nasty hit to your head.
IK: Yes, I'm fine now. The
dizziness has stopped and the headache is going away.
JM: Illya, I'm so sorry you had
to come out here to rescue me. I feel so foolish. I shouldn't have
bothered to get that rare orchid.
IK: It's OK, Jessica. That's
what I'm here for.
JM: The good news is I was able
to get the orchids I came out here for and the poacher didn't find
them. I had just finished hiding the gunnysack with the plants in it
a few minutes before he showed up. I was taking one last look at the
area when he grabbed me from behind and immediately gagged me.
IK: I'm glad you got the
plants, but the bad news is we're running very late. We've got to
get out of here and on the road.
JM: OK, but I know exactly
where I hid the gunnysack and it's right on the way back to camp. So
it'll only take me a minute to get it.
JM: See, that didn't take long
at all. How late are we?
IK: We're more than an hour
late. I don't know how long Joe will wait for us, but if we're too
late, we'll miss our flight in New Delhi back to the U.S. this
evening.
JM: Yikes!
12:30 PM
At the camp site everything appeared as
Illya had left it in the morning when he set out to find Jessica.
They hurried to the Jeep and got in. Illya turned the key in the
ignition and, again - nothing! For the second time in less than a
day, the distributor cap was gone.
JM (with fear and desperation in
her voice): Now what do we do?
IK: We think like the poacher.
He must have come by here after tying us up in the shack. He decided
to take the distributor cap off again just for good measure on the
chance we managed to get loose. But I don't think he would bother to
take it with him. You search for it in the underbrush on that side
of camp and I'll look over here. Hurry, we've got to get out of
here!
12:45 PM
JM: I found it!
1 PM
Illya and Jessica have been on the road
for a few minutes, but they are so far behind schedule now, there is
no way to make up the lost time. Texas Joe had told them he was
concerned there might lots of small planes trying to leave Dehradun
that day due to the planned flooding, making it difficult for him to
get them to New Delhi in time for their flight to the U.S.
But an even bigger problem for them is
the flood starting to cover the valley behind them. In the distance,
they hear the sound of a rushing wall of water as it covers the
forest and campsite where they've spent the last week.
Glancing over her shoulder, Jessica is
startled by how rapidly the water is rising and how fast it's moving.
JM: Illya, quick! The turn-off
for the mountain road is just ahead. The water's less than a mile
behind us!
Illya takes a quick look in the rear
view mirror that confirms Jessica's assessment of the situation and
floors the Jeep's gas pedal. Fortunately, the turn-off to the
mountain is more of a fork that rises rapidly from the valley road
rather than a true turn. He takes the right side fork with only
seconds to spare as they watch the valley road on the left below them
wash out in a deluge, obliterating it.
Before going very far up the mountain,
Illya and Jessica can still see much of the flood's devastation out
the driver's window in the Jeep.
Whole villages submerged.
Gentle small rivers now turned into
raging torrents on their way to swallowing up entire towns.
Driving the mountain road was slower
going than the flat road in the valley. Illya pushed the Jeep to its
limits, but no vehicle could maintain a high speed on a road that
gained so much altitude every mile.
Dehradun, India
Airfield
Finally, they reached the rendezvous
point not far from Texas Joe's plane at the small airfield. A fuming
Joe and the probationary U.N.C.L.E. agent were waiting for them. As
Jessica started to take their bags out of the Jeep, the young Indian
U.N.C.L.E. agent walked over to Illya to get the Jeep key.
IK: Everything is accounted
for. Here's the key.
PUA: Very good, sir. Any
problems with the Jeep?
IK: No, but you need to tell
the guys in the motor pool in New Delhi that they need to install
hood locks on these vehicles.
PUA: Yes, sir, I will. Let me
call our headquarters to tell them I will be arriving back there
later than scheduled. I will return shortly.
The Indian agent leaves to find a phone
and Texas Joe comes over to Illya.
TJP: Kury-a-kin, where in
blazes have you been?! You're almost two hours late! I was fixin'
to leave without you. It's been a madhouse around here today. If it
wasn't for the lady here, I'd be giving you a piece of my mind.
IK: Sorry, Joe, it's a long
story. Let's get our bags on the plane and get in the air. I'll
tell you about it and you can chew me out all the way to New Delhi,
if you want.
New Delhi, India
Hotel Lobby
2 hours later
TJP: Listen, Illya, sorry I
blew my top at you back there in Dehradun. From what you said on the
flight here, sounds like you two had a mighty excitin' last couple a
days.
IK (chuckle): Yes, you could
say that. I'm just glad you didn't leave without us.
TJP: I didn't want to leave
y'all stranded out there. Well, I best be goin'. Hope y'all have a
safe trip home.
With that, Texas Joe shakes Illya's
hand and then turns to Jessica, saying, “Miss” politely, with a
nod of his head and a tip of his hat.
Act IV: How do you translate
Kuryakin into Latin botanical nomenclature?
University of Maryland
Three days later, 1 PM
As Illya approaches Dr. Scully's office
door, he hears the voice of a young child. “That's odd”, he
thinks to himself, “why would a little child be here?” He knocks
on the door.
DMS: Come in!
DMS: Mr. Kuryakin, come in,
meet my daughter. This is Dana. Dana, can you tell Mr. Kuryakin
hello?
Dana
Scully (DS) (shyly): Hi.
IK (smiling): Hello, Dana. You
can call me Illya. Kuryakin is a bit hard to say.
DMS: I'm glad you stopped by
when you did. Dana is going to Prof. Thompson's daughter's birthday
party today and I'm taking the afternoon off to take her.
IK (to Dana): That sounds like
fun. Will you have birthday cake and ice cream at the party?
DS (happily): Yes!
IK: How old are you, Dana?
DS: Three and a half!
DMS: Dana, will you go over
there and read your book we brought from home while I talk to Illya?
DS: OK.
IK: Read?
DMS: Well, not really, but her
father and I want to do everything we can to encourage her education.
And she is starting to recognize some words.
IK: I'm going back to
headquarters in New York later today and thought I would check on the
project.
DMS: The plants you shipped to
the university by truck and air freight have started arriving.
They've all made it through the trip in excellent condition. But the
most exciting news is you and Jessica discovered a new orchid
species! The plants Jessica went back for the day you left India had
never been seen before. We hope they will have the same pollution
control properties as the species you went to India to save, but even
if they don't, it's a wonderful discovery. And, since you two were
able to save them from the flooding, you very likely saved them from
extinction as well.
Since Jessica had them with her when
she returned, we were able to examine them carefully here in our lab
and confirm that they are indeed a new species. I hope that makes
all the trouble you went through that last day seem a bit more
worthwhile. Jessica told me about the escape from the shack and that
nerve-wracking drive out of the valley as it was flooding. Quite the
adventure, I take it?
IK (smiling): Yes, it did
quicken the pulse a bit.
DMS: Because the orchids
Jessica found the last day are a new species, she gets the honor of
naming it. She said without your help she wouldn't have made it out
of India alive, much less discover a new species. So she would like
for the orchid's name to incorporate both of your last names.
IK: That's very kind of her and
I feel honored, but, no, she's the scientist who discovered the
plant. It should be named after her alone. As well as the fact my
name wouldn't lend itself to Latin scientific nomenclature easily.
It would be quite cumbersome.
I really should be going now. Please
give Jessica my best regards when you see her.
DMS: Yes, I will. She'll be
disappointed she missed seeing you today. Dana and I should be
leaving for the party too. It's been a pleasure working with you,
Illya. My report to the U.N.C.L.E. will reflect that.
IK: Thank you. The pleasure
was all mine.
Having just given up the opportunity to
be immortalized in the world of botany, Illya Kuryakin leaves Dr.
Scully's office to return to New York and the U.N.C.L.E.
headquarters, ready for a new assignment.
###
Post Script: My surprise guest
star in this episode, Dana Scully as a young girl, was played by a
Tulah doll from Kish and Company. Thought I'd put her in for all the
X-Files fans (including myself). According to the Dana Scully
character page on IMDb, the time frame for her age fits this story,
her mother's name was Margaret, she grew up in Maryland, and got a
degree in Physics from the University of Maryland.
I'm often surprised when writing or
editing these stories how current events can have relevance to my
story. I wanted this one to take place in India in a region with
similar topography to my own temperate forest mountain area for
realistic outdoor photos. The Uttarakhand state in northern India
fit my criteria. I had already outlined much of the flood theme when
I discovered that the Uttarakhand state had suffered massive, deadly
floods in 2010 and again in September this year in part because
hydro-electric plant dams put in place to control the rivers in the
mountains had failed to do that. The second flood photo in my story
is from the September 2010 flood and the third flood photo is from
the one this year. On a more positive note related to my story,
Uttarakhand is home to many sanctuaries and reserves for rare plant
and animal species and well known for its environmental
consciousness.
Closer to home, while working on this
story, Russell Train died on Sept. 17 at 92. He was the first
chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and
instrumental in the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. He
later became the second Administrator of the EPA.
A little less than two weeks later, Dr.
Barry Commoner died on Sept. 30 at 95. His obituary in Time
magazine read in part: “His work on the dangers of atmospheric
radiation helped spur the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and he was a
key figure in the first Earth Day, in 1970....he helped create the
modern environmental movement....”
And, finally, when my October issue of
Harper's Bazaar arrived, I saw the page below in one of the
fashion articles. Looks like my escape plan wasn't too far fetched
after all.
