Admittedly, the first time I read Professor Cognome’s story Lowell’s Second Chance, from Kyanite Press’s Winter’s Digest I was about a bottle of wine in, under the stars in Death Valley enjoying the delicious feeling of tumbling down the rabbit hole. I decided I needed to go back and read it completely sober. My initial impression remains. Not really being a retelling of any particular tale, it’s as if Mark Twain decided to take a bunch of opium and then write his own version of a Mid-Summer Night’s Dream crossed with Alice in Wonderland. Cognome’s short story is a tribute to Francis Cabott Lowell, of Waltham, MA.
Mr. Lowell’s business model for his mill was unique for his era. In a time where there were few to no rights for workers, he recognized that a happy, well-cared for, educated work force actually led to a better profits, less turn-over, a more sustainable business and a better society overall. While he died fairly young, his son continued his legacy and built it into what is known as the “Waltham-Lowell Business Model”
There are many interesting links and studies done on his model of business. If you would like to read more, please check out the one I included, or even the one Professor Cognome included with his story, as I do not mean for this to be a business essay on Lowell, but on Cognome’s highly entertaining tale.
Cognome spins a visually appealing tale. Once into the realm of the fairies, it is the language that captures (and makes me think of Twain, by the by). Fairies “sipping moonlight from a blue forget-me-not blossom.” The “Biggie King” and his “Big Nasty,” and many more. At the risk of spoilers, I will keep my review brief. Marsh Pebble, a sly, powerful fairy is using her magic to attempt to kill the “Biggie King” in the hopes that if he dies, the “Big Nasty” (his mill) will go away and stop destroying their home. Flutterby, the fairy sent to deliver a message of warning about Marsh Pebble’s plan from the Fairy Princess, is not so convinced this is the right path. Cognome weaves a unique dreamscape as his hero and heroine come to a resolution one might not see coming. It’s a story that makes you set your expectations aside.
The seemingly simple tale speaks to a root problem of our time. Like a genie unleashed from a bottle that cannot be easily shoved back in, technology is not easily displaced once people get a taste of it. Whether it is the automobile, social media, or the realm in which I work, electricity; our society has benefited substantially from advances in technology. However, these advances are not without consequence to the world/environment in which we live. I think that we can all agree that no one wants to turn everything off and go back to the stone age. Technology has made our lives better on nearly every level. At the same time, how do we strike the right balance between advancing technology and conserving the world in which we live in? How can we convince governments, businesses and even people as individuals to take ownership of their decisions and how they affect the world around them? Who are the right persons to be the judges? We as human beings are incredibly short-sighted, and for good reason. Let’s face it, we’re also incredibly resistant to change. We often only change when forced to. Our lifespans in the grand scheme of things are short and narrowly focused on surviving.
In Cognome’s story, Marsh Pebble has taken it upon herself to be the judge, jury and executioner for the “Biggie King” and the “Big Nasty.” She’s thoroughly convinced that if she gets rid of him, all their problems will be solved. But as we see too often even in our society, if we eliminate one ill without completely thinking through the consequences, more will pop up, often like the hydra in Greek mythology, waiting with more heads to tear us to shreds.
Now this is possibly an over simplification, but you will get my basic point. Think back to the 1840’s. The world was killing whales tothe point of extinction for the purpose of fuel, perfumes, bones, etc. As the number of whales decreased and prices for whale oil and corsets went up, they started to look for something to replace it. What did they replace it with? Fossil fuels. Flash forward to now as we look around trying to find the next technology to supplant fossil fuels. I hope we take a hard look at what we come up with so a hundred years from now, they aren’t shaking their heads saying, “What were they thinking?”
https://www.quora.com/When-and-why-did-petroleum-replace-whale-oil-as-a-fuel-source
This was a great read. I love delving into something that onthe surface seems simple but really makes you think. I look forward to readingmore of Professor Cognome’s work.
https://www.facebook.com/ProfessorCognome/
Thanks for reading, stay tuned for my dissection of another great tale.
