A Time For Celebration

It seemed like an odd time for celebration in the town of Cedar Run, given the spate of recent drownings, but its most notable citizen and only industrialist in town, Robert Franken, was going to retire and hand the reigns over to his son Bob Franken, Jr.

Within this small community almost a third of the population were employed at Davos Fertilizers, the company that Bob Franken founded. The CEO of Davos was legend in these parts. Shrewd businessman, employer, father, and more recently, environmentalist. At least he liked to think of himself as protector of the environment, even though the runoff from the fertilizer plant is what caused the acidic conditions in Crystal Lake to occur. But, with the payrolls the plant provided the townsfolk were obligated if not forgiving.

While Davos was the economic engine of Cedar Run, Crystal Lake was its soul. Summer gatherings around the lake were common and the ideal location for whatever events could be made to fit within the short balmy season. When the lake became overly acidic the population gathered less to swim but still made use of the surrounding shoreline. Barbecues, weddings and craft fairs were ongoing during the season. Fishing was hit and miss as aquatic life rapidly declined in the last five years due to the runoff. Robert Franken, who was once hailed as a hero publicly, started to be scorned privately for the debasement of the lake. Bob Sr. assured the town he had a plan to clean up the lake and everyone who knew Bob knew he was a doer and not a talker. By the time of his retirement the lake’s ph had improved considerably even though the increased drownings drew more attention.

In response to the recent events the town offered swimming lessons every Saturday during the summer months, generously paid for by Davos Fertilizers. And yet the drownings continued well into the fall and winter until the lake would freeze over. Yet even then there were a few souls lost after cutting holes into the ice. Several bodies were found, pushed up against the ice, by some unfortunate ice skaters. As deaths increased some of the residents of Cedar Run felt like it was some kind of omen. And some just felt unnerved. Who would be next? And when? No one had an explanation.

The following summer the drownings stopped.

Mike Shein was a lanky man and appeared right out of the old Hollywood’s central casting. He looked the part of nerdy scientist and had the credentials of one. He was also a military veteran, a fact that did not match his outward appearance. Dr. Shein was hired by Bob Sr. to deal with the acidification of Crystal Lake. He was a microbiologist by trade and an expert on bacteria and fungi. Bob Franken fancied himself a bit of a scientist and was enamored with Mike Shein’s research paper on the use of bacteria to help in the deacidification of waterways. Pseudomonas, a gram-negative bacteria, was used successfully by the doctor to help clean up a small lake in California. It was this success that he featured in his paper and the one that got the attention of the Davos founder. Saving his own town’s lake was Robert Franken’s only way to save face and to save himself the headache from any possible lawsuits. Bob Sr. wasn't above denying culpability but that train had left the station. Dr. Shein appeared to be his answer and a way to save his company’s reputation.

One year before Bob Franken’s retirement he and Mike Shein began in earnest to rectify the problem the fertilizer plant had created. Bob Sr. furnished the lab with all the tools the tall doctor would need. It had microscopes, growth mediums, an autoclave, slides, petri dishes, pipettes, incubators and even a laminar flow hood. And the lab also came with Bob’s insistence that he’d be a part of any work Mike Shein was doing. He also provided the doctor room and board in his mansion overlooking the town along with a generous stipend for his time. The house was a reminder to the townsfolk where they were in the pecking order. Franken lived alone in the enormous house ever since his wife died a few years earlier. For the most part the citizens were grateful for the work and the blessings that came with it, although they were a bit leery of just how much Franken’s largesse impacted their life outside of the plant. No alcohol could be bought in Cedar Run since Bob Sr. had paid for the votes to see to it. No lawns could be mowed on Sunday because the executive did not like to hear loud machines on his day of rest. And all children had to be off the streets by 8 PM. The town conceded all of it to keep the plant running in Cedar Run and its founder happy. Bob Franken was used to getting his way and his occasional, subtle threats of moving the plant were taken seriously by the city council. For the townsfolk it was a minor inconvenience to drive to the next town for a six pack. It was harder tracking down the children and getting them home by eight. For the former owner of Benny’s, the now closed bar, it was life changing. After the town banned alcohol being sold in its boundary Benny Santoline went to work begrudgingly for Davos Fertilizers. Benny was a big bear of a man who liked to do cannonballs off a platform into the lake during the summer. That was when the lake was swimmable and his time was his own. Now, instead of dispensing beer and enjoying a rather stress free life he drove a forklift inside the plant. It was Bob Franken’s way of looking out for the little guy.

Mike Shein grew the bacteria that were to be used to help clean up Crystal Lake. Bob Franken wanted to speed up the process and suggested they change the growth medium. He had read that pseudomonas would grow faster and larger if human albumin were used in place of cow serum. The doctor wasn’t sure expediency over commonly used protocols were in the best interest of the lake. Too many quickly grown large bacteria and the balance of benefit versus risk might be skewed. He wasn’t certain any risk would materialize and couldn’t articulate what those risks might be. Bob Sr. being Bob Sr. decided this was how they would move forward. And for the most part it worked. In what would normally have taken five months to grow enough bacteria they accomplished in one. Robert Franken figured the sooner he was able to fix the lake the sooner Mike Shein could be dispatched and the town put back to its former glory. Crystal Lake would be saved and the plant’s founder would once again be hailed a hero.

After the bacteria were released into the lake weekly readings were implemented. Very soon the ph level had improved enough to send folks back into the water. It was looking like Bob’s retirement would be a victory celebration. If not for the drownings things were looking up in Cedar Run.

Mike Shein was curious about the uptick in Crystal Lake drownings. After he parted ways with Bob Sr. he rented a room from Benny Santoline. Benny had a large apartment above the former bar which was now a used appliance store. Mike Shein liked Benny and was quite taken with his cheerful demeanor, in spite of having to close his bar and work for the man responsible for its closure. Dr. Shein wanted to research why so many people of Cedar Run were drowning. It made no sense to him. The local police were clueless and the town’s one funeral director seemed unfazed. Mike thought perhaps he was happy with the increased business. He found out autopsies were rarely done by the medical examiner. The ME told him, “A drowning is a drowning so what’s to find?” But Shein had a troubling suspicion that his involvement with the cleanup of the lake might have contributed in some way to the increased drownings. He went outside his sphere of expertise and contacted an old friend who worked treating people with various brain disorders including infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and even protozoa. Giving his friend enough information to formulate an opinion without implicating himself the physician mentioned an old obscure paper where animal experiments had been done infecting the brains of mice with a variety of bacteria. One variable of the experiments were the mediums in which the bacteria were grown. In one, human albumin was used as a growth medium for the bacteria and injected into the mice. Without showing any form of aggression the animals would essentially commit suicide. Not all of them but around 10%. The mice would drink from their water supply until it caused them to die from water toxicity. Mike Shein thanked him for his input and ended the call. The hands that covered the doctor’s face were large and almost hid his eyes, which were now red and filled with despair. He thought to himself, “these people might have drowned but they intentionally did so.”

It was just one week before Robert Franken’s retirement celebration but Dr. Shein pressed to see him regardless. He told him what he believed was responsible for the increased drownings. Franken told him matter-of-factly he was never to discuss this with anyone. But unknown to Bob Sr. it was already too late. Dr. Shein had contacted a family member of one of the drowned victims and they agreed to have an autopsy done. Samples of brain tissue were sent to a lab and it was confirmed that pseudomonades were everywhere. The bacteria used to save the lake were killing its residents. Bob’s head looked like it might explode when told about the results. “I will ruin you if I am implicated in any of this,” Franken said. He said he would pay for the family’s silence and that would be the end. He also advised him to leave town. The sooner the better. Mike Shein thought about contacting the press but decided against it. He knew he could fix the problem with Crystal Lake and he’d rather not have Bob Sr. destroy his life. He returned to his room above the used appliance store.

Later that day the typically cheerful Benny Santoline arrived home angry and distraught. He received a pink slip from Davos Fertilizers. Dr. Shein felt it must have had something to do with their living arrangements. He told Benny a little about his fallout with Bob Franken and asked if his firing could’ve had anything to do with him living there. “You g-d damn right it had something to do with it. Bob Franken is a vindictive prick who gets a free ride in this town because of all the people he employs. And if he ever has something on you he’ll hold it over your head forever.” He confided in Dr. Shein that when he had the bar he mistakenly served a minor who later crashed a car into the Davos plant. Only Benny, the kid and Franken knew about it. So when Bob Sr. decided he didn’t want alcohol sold within the city limits he made sure Benny wouldn’t fight against the ordinance. “He had me by the balls. If I fought back he’d spill the beans about the crash and the minor.” “I understand,” said Mike.

Feeling magnanimous and slightly hesitant he decided to share the details with Benny about his own ordeal with Robert Franken. The doctor felt he could trust him and didn’t think Benny would use it against Franken or himself. After the doctor’s confession Benny told him that before he ran the bar he was a plumber. Not sure where this was going he asked Benny to continue. “Oh yeah, set up the whole plumbing system for the old man’s house.” I know every part of that home’s water supply.” Can you get some more of those, what you call them, pseudomas?” “Pseudomonas, yes,” Doctor Shein said.

The night of the celebration almost the entire town gathered with the Davos founder around Crystal Lake. There was food, music and not surprisingly no alcohol. Many platitudes were exchanged and Robert Franken passed the reigns of Davos Fertilizers to his son Bob Franken Jr. It was a party befitting the town’s most prominent citizen.

On a rather balmy night, three days after Robert Franken’s grand celebration, the newly retired founder of Davos Fertilizers made his final trip to Crystal Lake. His body was discovered the next day. Cause of death, drowning.

Three days after Robert Franken’s untimely death Dr. Mike Shein and Benny Santoline had a meeting with Bob Franken Jr. No one can be sure what was talked about that day because they were the only ones in that conference room. The next day it was announced that Dr. Shein would be hired for a new position of Chief Science Officer of Davos Fertilizers. And Benny Santoline would be made VP of Operations. Come spring, Crystal Lake was fully restored to its former glory thanks to a generous grant from Davos Fertilizers. Mike Shein and Benny Santoline oversaw the restoration.