Wiley returned from farther downriver to join Quinn, who stood at the river’s edge watching the beavers reinforce their dams with more branches.
Although the company men had gone, the skunks remained at their posts along the riverbank. None wanted to leave the beavers unprotected.
Wiley cast a worried glance toward the path the men had taken.
WILEY: “Do you think they’ll come back?”
QUINN: “Most assuredly.”
Quinn checked his watch recorder. He and Wiley had much to report: the dams were holding, the beavers were still working, and the skunks had stood their ground.
But the Harvest Moon had come and gone. With the arrival of the Beaver Moon, Quinn knew it was time to leave. Abigail was waiting for news.
The two hightailed it upstream to let Scout know their plan.
QUINN: “We’re going back to Abigail.”
SCOUT: “Tell her the dams are holding. The beavers are still working, and we’re staying here to protect them.”
Scout narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the path where the company men had disappeared.
SCOUT: “You know the men will be back. They need that pipeline. Even though their guns didn’t help them this time, that won’t stop them from trying something else. Tell Abigail we’ve held them off for now, but we’ll need her help to keep them away.”
Quinn nodded.
QUINN: “Then we’d better get going.”
While the beavers had been working at the river, Abigail and Linda had been busy gathering their neighbors. They knocked on doors, made telephone calls, and stopped on porches, each time extending a simple invitation.
LINDA: “We’re gathering at the church to talk about Hell’s Bells. Will you come?”
Often the conversations lasted longer than they intended. People had questions and concerns of their own to share. Some neighbors immediately agreed to come. Others wanted to know what one more meeting would accomplish.
NEIGHBOR #1: “We’ve complained before. They’ve been fined millions, and they’re still polluting. What’s another meeting going to change?”
ABIGAIL: “There’s something happening that you haven’t heard about yet. Some friends of mine are working to stop Hell’s Bells from polluting.”
NEIGHBOR #1: “What friends? How are they going to do that?”
LINDA: “Come to the church. There’s quite a story to tell, and we’ll need your help.”
At the first gathering, Abigail arranged twenty folding chairs in the church basement while Linda set out coffee and cookies.
By seven o’clock, they needed more chairs.
Some neighbors greeted one another. Others sat quietly, waiting to hear about the mysterious friends Abigail had mentioned.
Linda stood beside the table.
LINDA: “Thank you for coming. We’re all concerned about the pollution from Hell’s Bells. The complaints and fines haven’t stopped it. Tonight, Abigail has news about some friends who are trying to help, and we have a part to play, too.”
NEIGHBOR #1: Yes, I’m anxious to hear about those friends you mentioned when you came by my house. What exactly are these friends doing to stop Hell’s Bells from polluting?”
ABIGAIL: “They’re working to cut off the plant’s supply of raw material. Let me explain. Most of you know that Hell’s Bells, often referred to as a cracker plant, does NOT make crackers … not graham, not saltine, and not Ritz. What it does make is plastic, and the raw material it uses to make that plastic is ethane, which comes from natural gas. And, listen up: this ethane gets to Hell’s Bells through an underground pipeline called the Predator Pipeline. And indeed, it is a predator! Without that supply, the plant can’t keep making plastic.
”NEIGHBOR #1: “You’ve certainly got our attention. Now tell us … who are these friends of yours, and what can they do to help?”
Before Abigail could answer, Linda spoke up.
LINDA: “That’s the part that may surprise you. Abigail has an unusual ability, she can communicate with animals.”
A woman near the front looked up.
WOMAN NEAR THE FRONT: “You mean like knowing when your dog wants to go outside?”
LINDA: “More than that. Not only does Abigail understand what the animals are telling her, but they understand her responses.”
Someone gave a short laugh.
MAN IN THE BACK: “Actual conversations?”
ABIGAIL: “Yes! It’s called animal telepathy. Those of us with this gift can communicate with animals without speaking aloud. I don’t know why I have it, but it lets me get to know creatures most people pass by without a second glance, and hear what they have to say.”
WOMAN: “I watch the birds every morning. I pay attention to them, but they don’t tell me things.”
ABIGAIL: “I understand. Paying attention and being able to communicate as I do aren’t quite the same. When you watch the birds regularly, you notice changes, like when fewer birds visit your feeder or when a tree they’ve been nesting in is cut down. But I can actually converse with them.”
The woman’s eyes widened. She leaned forward in her chair.
WOMAN: “You mean you could ask a bird why it stopped coming, and it could tell you?”
ABIGAIL: “Yes. And sometimes the animals have questions for me, too.”
WOMAN: WOW!”
NEIGHBOR: “And what does that have to do with Hell’s Bells?”
Abigail stepped closer to the table.
ABIGAIL: “The pipeline crosses the waterways where they live, threatening their homes too. Like us, they need the pollution to stop as well.”
NEIGHBOR: “So, what kinds of animal friends are you talking about?”
ABIGAIL: “Skunks, groundhogs, beavers, and a weasel named Wiley. My friendships with some of the animals began several years ago, when my own backyard was being threatened. They helped me protect my land then, and now their relatives, along with a new friend, a porcupine named Quinn, are working together to stop the pollution from Hell’s Bells.”
She looked around the room.
NEIGHBOR: “So, exactly how are these animals going to stop Hell’s Bells?”
ABIGAIL: “Here’s the plan … first, the beavers build dams to cut off the ethane supply. Scout and the other skunks will guard the beavers, since the company men are sure to retaliate. Wiley and Quinn will coordinate their efforts.
WOMAN: “Beavers certainly know how to do that. My brother had them on his property.”
ABIGAIL: “They do. And they’re working at the pipeline crossings. They hope to have the dams completed by the Beaver Moon.”
NEIGHBOR: “Ok, so what happens next. You mentioned skunks and groundhogs.”
ABIGAIL: “Once the ethane stops flowing and the plant shuts down, the groundhogs move in. Their job is to bring Hell’s Bells down for good. Everyone has a part to play.”
LINDA: “The animals are doing their part. Abigail, tell everyone how we can help.”
ABIGAIL: “We need to organize. Many of us have already complained to our officials. The DEP keeps fining Hell’s Bells, but the company treats those fines as just another cost of doing business. The pollution continues. It’s time we took a lesson from the skunks and made a big stink of our own. We need a united front with neighbors showing up at meetings, contacting the newspapers, and demanding action that actually stops the pollution.”
LINDA: “Then let’s make sure everyone knows what we’re demanding.”
NEIGHBOR: “Fines aren’t enough. Shut it down!”
ABIGAIL: “Exactly. Let’s follow our animal friends. The beavers are building dams, and the skunks are guarding them. Together, they’re damming up the works. We’ll add an ‘n’ and put our message on signs and memes: ‘Damn it to Hell’s Bells!”
Linda reached beneath the table and held up a sign she had prepared. In bold letters, it read: DAMN IT TO HELL’S BELLS!
A man in the back sprang to his feet and thrust his fist into the air.
“DAMN IT TO HELL’S BELLS!” he shouted.
Others rose, their voices joining his.
WOMAN: “I’m ready to help. What’s our first move?”
Abigail picked up a marker and turned to a large sheet of paper taped to the wall.
ABIGAIL: “That’s what we need to decide together. We need to find out when the next public meeting is, who can attend, and who will help us tell more people.”
MAN BY THE COFFEE POT: “I’ll find out when the next public meeting is and how we can get on the agenda.”
WOMAN: “I can give people rides.”
ANOTHER NEIGHBOR: “I’ll contact the newspaper.”
Linda began writing down names beside each task.
Not everyone in the room knew what to make of Abigail’s animal friends. But they agreed on one thing: they wanted Hell’s Bells shut down. Now they had signs to make, people to call, and a reason to meet again.
As the chairs were being folded, one neighbor lingered beside Abigail.
NEIGHBOR: “When will you know whether the beavers have stopped the ethane from reaching the plant?”
ABIGAIL: “Quinn and Wiley will bring us the news.”
NEIGHBOR: “You’ll let us know?”
ABIGAIL: “As soon as they return.”
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