High Water
Water. It forms the backbone of all life- the first choice of those dying of thirst, and an essential building block for any ecosystem. For scientists like the wolf Jonas Neumann, the chemical and physical properties of water had been studied and he felt that no stone had been left unturned. And yet, no matter how much they found out about this wondrous combination of two atoms hydrogen and a single hydrogen atom, something divine remained in this life-giving compound. Neumann understood that the love of water, not just for mere survival but its mystical properties remained, had seeped into the lifeblood of every living thing. No city had bloomed without it, no civilization could exist without it, ecosystems would collapse without it, its taste and purity brought life to all who enjoyed it. This was water, something so mysterious that no scientist could ever understand ALL of its mysteries. And it made him think of the project that the government had assigned him to- Project High Water.
From an aquifer far removed from where the wolf stood, an untold volume of water would rise- through tunnels buried well beneath the Earth's surface. The hot, dry, lifeless desert land known as Merikopa that Jonas and his pack had grown up would soon become a lively green prairie. A faraway river would be diverted, an aquifer near the coast would be drained, the life-giving water in perpetual downward motion would permeate the rocks before filling the empty wells of Merikopa with water and its residents with joy. Tons of dynamite to blast a nearby wall of rock and earth-moving equipment would create this artificial canal and Neumann would be known as one of the geologists who brought life-giving water to the desert. It was all set in motion- the water would gush forth from the wells, breaking the dry, cracked, sun-damaged surface to see a sky filled with bright stars that night. And around Jonas' hometown, people would arrive to see it as the discovery of water took them to a new home, not one of eroded and cursed wasteland but one of fertile farmland. How could the Merikopans not be elated when they saw this?
A few hours before the unveiling of this massive government terraforming venture, Jonas thought back to days when he was much younger, always fascinated by water- the same substance that seemed to perpetually be in short supply to the people of Merikopa. For years, Jonas and his family would always be jealous of those who lived near the coast for their access to water, both fresh and salty. The flying spray of the ocean filled with the alluring smells of high-seas adventure was a scent unfamiliar to many Merikopans but Jonas had experienced it in his studies. He also knew the strength and cleansing power of rivers, including the Salvatore which through the magic of Merikopan super-science would actually be commandeered to flow into the desert. Jonas Neumann's group was actually going to control the flow of a river, giving each of the scientists working there a sense of strength over nature. The river would flow into cisterns and culverts, pre-built for a day when water would once again flow through, providing food for everyone and everyone would rejoice.
And then Jonas heard the rumblings as the water grew closer and closer- the excitement of receiving nature's bounty was close at hand as he visualized the brown desert filled with tumbleweeds and cacti soon filled with cereal grains. Truly this was a great time to be alive in Merikopa! The rumblings grew fiercer as the water was being forced underneath the weight of the mountains- it was as though the heart of the earth would itself burst as the Salvatore, would go through a labyrinth of underground caves, waterfalls, and dams to Jonas' hometown. It would forcibly change course, all by the work of a cadre of top geologists, scientists, and mechanical engineers, but as any scientist knew the water could only downhill. And if decades of research meant anything it would all flow to Merikopa. Jonas knew about the wells, many of which carved out of materials as tough as marble and shale, shattering aquetards 40-200 feet below the surface to find underground aquifers- this was how the bone-dry climate of his homeland. But a river flowing through the heart of that country to its capital city and its outlying villages and the nightmare of desert thirst would be ended as water would gush forth from marble fountains.
Jonas thought also of the swift-moving river he had traveled over by boat in the jungles to the south. The jungles were themselves strong and mighty, and life-giving. The wolf saw an ecosystem there which showed the greatest diversity on the planet, forming a green-and-black wonderland with life unlike anything in the desert. That same force would come to Merikopa. It was in those jungles that Jonas would hear the wordless voices, prayers of thanksgiving for this bountiful river. They broke the silence and took many forms, the flapping of a butterfly's wing, the songs of birds, and the barbaric howls of a howler monkey as the water brought them home. And the river's output was increased by the waves that crashed from the ocean, and the water that beat down in torrents of tropical rain. And these memories streamed through Jonas the wolf in his blood. These memories were with him every step of the way as this decades-long project was undertaken, for the good of his country.
Finally, the big moment had arrived as evidenced by a rush of whitish-blue down the mountain into the valley below. For months beforehand, the tractors had dug artificial gulches reaching for dozens of miles to the sea to hold this prodigious amount of water- they would soon become the meandering Merikopa Branch of the Salvatore, formed not by the effects of wind and water over millions of years but several decades of high technology. It was truly a massive undertaking and as the water filled the meandering half-pipe which would become the river, Jonas and his friends couldn't help but feel a bit of accomplishment at this completely artificial river. The wolf perked up his ears and heard above the shouts of joy from the other scientists in the lookout perch which had been the headquarters of this project, the wordless voices once more. It was more powerful than a whisper, both serene and mighty- the voice of rivers auguring through the land, the voice of lakes providing a growing space for the reeds and the voice of the ocean crawling high above the foam.
The wolf could still feel the elation as the water brought life. The valleys, once bereft of anything but cracked and dry ground would be filled with clear water. This downpour was the driving rain that would redeem the entire region and it would take everyone, every farmer, every rancher, every citizen, everyone who ever felt water trickle down their muzzles home.