"It's the natural order of things," I said. "The only way a woman can be happy is if she is subservient to a man." She shook her head. "Do you thi...k we are unhappy?" "You may think you're happy, but I don't think you're as happy as you think you are." She snorted derisively and turned to Shevet, my companion. "And what do you think? Do you think a woman can be happy only if she is a slave?" He shrugged. "I think that some women keep their tongues inside their heads. He complained about the high costs of assembly in the United States and even pointed to the St. Paul plant as one of the more expensive to operate. He did confirm that many job offers to graduating engineers had been rescinded. Steve’s own sources indicated that the St. Paul plant would be shut down by the end of the year. Layoffs were expected through mid-management. Even if Jennifer had reported to work after graduation, she would have been unemployed by December.The information was relayed. Some combination of the minerals in the runoff water and the mineral and chemical compounds emitted from the underground springs had created a drinking supply which caused a profound impact on the behavior of the townspeople and changed the future of Eden Valley forever. The water had the effect of reducing sickness, dramatically increasing libido, and decreasing inhibitions. Apparently, the water also functioned as a natural birth control agent since no woman in the town had become pregnant in. ’ ‘OK OK. Fair enough. And what do I get for completing this assignment?’ ‘An ‘A’ if it’s done well? A really bad grade if it sucks?’ I laughed and hung up the phone. I managed to put the whole thing out of my mind for the moment, not an easy thing to do, as you might imagine, and dealt with the reality of my day. Later that evening, I remembered my promise, sat down at the computer, and this, the first and only draft, with the allowed typo and punctuation pass through the story when I finished.