We're Off to Pay the Wizard....

It was dark and dreary on the hill. The weather had turned from a pleasant autumn day to a cold and rainy night. The wind blew and whistled through the trees making groaning noises as they strained to remain erect. Lightning flashed across the sky forming a bizarre jigsaw pattern. The building on the hill seemed eerie and out of place for the countryside. Each flash of lightening reflected off the tall glass windows creating surreal images. The cold brick and mortar seemed less inviting then it was months ago when the picture of this mystical place was first published. Now as Bubba crept his truck up the winding driveway he began to think this was not a good idea. He had been promised wonders beyond belief, a new future, life without worry, and fantastic images of success filled his head. Now as the wind howled and rain beat the rust off his vehicle Bubba longed for the days in the mill. Life had been so simple then. Get up, go to work as he had for 23 years, sit behind his worn and creaky textile machine, put in his 8 hours, and come home to his three kids and his high school sweetheart.
But that was years ago. The mill where he and his father had worked (43 years for his dad) now was reduced to bricks to be used for the patios of the New York upper class. He could almost hear the cocktail party taking place on the Manhatten patio as two bleach blonde, over the hill socialites wearing Cartier necklaces discussed the recently completed patio.
Hillary took one more sip of her Cristal champagne and continued, “Yes, Barry and I waited months for the patio to be completed. The contractor, the same one that Tom Cruise used by the way, had a terrible time getting the brick. They came from a little mill town in Virginia. We thought we had them months ago but can you believe, they actually wanted to KEEP the old buildings that these bricks came from. Can you imagine? Well luckily someone down there saw the wisdom and dropped a wrecking ball on the place and we got our bricks! I can’t wait until the old wooden beams come for the game room. I better not hear any of that “historic” stuff. The Marlowes will be here at Christmas and I want that room done. Aren’t these bricks quaint? You see the markings on some of them? I’m told they came from workmen who sharpened their textile knives or something on the bricks. Look you can almost see some cotton fibers still clinging to them. If those bricks could talk…. Well they would probably say, get a job!”. Hillary threw back her head and laughed.
All Bubba wanted now was to turn around and race down the hill away from this place. But he knew he couldn’t. He had been out of work for over 14 months. The house was gone, and the truck would be next. He needed a job. The building on the hill was his last hope. But he had a nagging feeling that the glass and brick monster was not all it was cracked up to be.
He pulled the truck near the front door. The lights of the building reflected upward creating shadows that appeared to be reaching for Bubba. “Come in,” they seemed to call. “We know what you need. Have no worries.”
Bubba hesitated at the door. As each flash of lightening streaked down from the clouds it illuminated the inside of the building. He saw people scurrying back and forth along the hallways and open areas. It reminded him of the rats in the mill. Right now Bubba would have preferred rats over what was in the building. He knew that once he passed through the door there would be no turning back. He stood before the edifice created by the Council of The Dan. Weird lights blinked and flashed throughout the building. It reminded Bubba of the old pinball machine at the bowling alley. But these lights were coupled with cash register bells when they went on and off. A bell like sound shot from the building. Did it signal that an angel got its wings? No it meant someone got a new grant. For Bubba was not in Kansas (or Kentuck) anymore. He stood before the Castle of the Future lead by Dr. Franklin-stein and his Council of the Dan. There before him was the biggest mystery of all…….the Institute!!!! (Fade to black)
Sounds like a good story doesn’t it? Well this story is built on facts. Bubba had stumbled his way into the present day version of Count Dracula’s castle. But just like Dracula this monster was here to suck the life out of a community.
The Institute was built and funded on a series of grants, state funding and tobacco settlement money. (Pet Peeve #1: It’s amazing that when some of the people involved in these projects talk about grant money they act as if it was not “real” money. Several had said that no tax money was used, only grant money. Well what do they think grant money is? Your right....tax money!) The High Council met and decided among the bankers errrrr I mean the “visionaries” what was best for Danville. The High Council met (I bet there were hoods and flaming torches involved) and developed the idea of the Institute. This would be the saving project for Danville. The Council members reared back in their chairs and reached around with distorted arms to pat themselves on their backs.
The Institute was created, according to their Minister of Gobblegook, to create jobs. Stop. Someone please name me one job that the Institute created other then the high paying career coaster personnel that work there? Oh yeah, they created a gardener position to tend to the corn that is going to be made into concrete. What you say? Yeah concrete from corn. That’s our big future. How about bioinformatics? Lets see….what Danville worker will we put into gene finding, genome assembly, protein structure alignment, or sequence alignment? Again jobs are created but only within the Institute. The supporters say that they are “future” jobs. Unfortunately Danville workers have “present” bills to pay. How about getting a job that the average Danville worker can do? They don’t want to cruise the information highway, they just want a job building it. Danville has a noble history of providing some of the most skilled workers who produce superior products. Don’t sell them short.
The Institute and its proponents truly believe, I hope, that they are doing something good for Danville. Should they be successful it would be a great step for the area however if it falls flat on its face as other institutes in Virginia have then it will just be another waste of money. The so called Future of the Piedmont Committee which developed the idea of the Institute was so successful that one of its founding members is now….you guessed it……….an employee of the Institute! Well at least one Dan River laid off employee got a job.
And so Bubba stands in front of the Institute doors, rain streaming down his face. All the bells and whistles inside have no meaning to him. All he wants to do is click his heel three times and be back at work. He slowly turns around and heads back to the truck. He turns and looks one more time at the glass and brick palace. Hmmm he wonders. Do you suppose the bricks and steel of the Institute would make a nice loft condo project on the New Your City Eastside? Could the economic wrecking ball do that? Maybe Hillary needs an extension to her patio. Bubba could care less. His mind is elsewhere. Tomorrow the electric bill is due.