The Restless Earth

<p class=ql-align-center><em>Inspired by actual events in the 1950s rural South.</em></p><p>The moneymen turned him away laughing sneering saying his science was bad; saying he was too far away from oil calling him a fool a dupe a hopeless loser. His peers smelling the stench of failure distanced themselves from him. His lender - the few he had - fidgeted fearing he was unlucky.</p><p>His bills and worries mounted. His drilling rig Lucky Lucy true to the antithesis of her name broke down almost daily. His crew tired of working for nothing threatened to walk away.</p><p>Crafty whispering voices from figures waiting from the shadows schemed to get at that which he sought if he were lucky enough to find it. Eager desperate faces of farmers merchants and townspeople stood aside watching waiting praying his good luck would be theirs as well.</p><p>Few believed him and as his bit twisted its way into the Earth's mysterious belly one who did a woman he wondered if he could trust told him what he couldn't seem to fathom - that his real discovery would likely not be at the bottom of his hole.</p>