The Big Blue Worm
A short story by Carlos Javier Verdugo Espinosa
The Summer was almost gone. Joe Wolt was waiting a phone call, he was sitting at the office of the mayor trying to relax, he did not know if all about the Thunder project was true. It all begins when some investors called him about a project named “Thunder sand”. These investors wanted to build a entertainment park at “Laguna Salada” in Mexicali.
Laguna Salada is a vast dry lake some ten meters below sea level, sometimes dry in the Sonoran Desert of Baja California, 30 km southwest of Mexicali. The lake’s shape vaguely resembles a rhombus. When dry, the flatness of the exposed lake bed sediments makes it a favoured location for recreational driving. It is also notorious for its dust storms, usually the result of monsoonal thunderstorms during summer. Flanked by the Sierra de Los Cucapah and the Sierra de Juárez mountain ranges, the lake is approximately 60 km long and 17 km at its widest point.
The idea of the project seems very simple, they will build a amusement park under the lake, it will have a roller coasters, restaurants, bars and a casino... It will have a train that will take passengers for all the tunnels and have a lot of fun. The tunnel part was something that worried Wolt, he was studying the land and the construction project was very difficult to do, it can collapse.
Joe Wolt was trying to focus with the magazine in his hands when the Mayor came, salute him and told him:
- Are you ready Mr. Wolt, let`s go and see the advance of the park, be prepared to see strange things
- Strange? What do you mean strange?
- Nothing to be afraid professor, but the men have been found some things really different, you will see for yourself, please, come, the car is waiting for us.
The trip to Laguna Salada was really quiet, the Mayor was talking by the phone all the time, it seems that the guy was born with the blackberry. The driver was an old man but seems really fit to his age, you do not know what age he really was, that kind of person. A group of people was waiting for the mayor and Wolt, they have been prepared a initial ride to the site.
When Wolt almost enter the facility an old man tried to talked to him, he told him:
- Please, do not go, it will be really dangerous, the white man have been woke up the big Konta
- At first, Wolt though the man was crazy, who was this man anyway?
- His parents were from natives Kumaiai, indigenous group that lived here 3,000 years ago –said one of the men of the Mayor.
Wolt followed the group, a electric train was waiting for them to take them for the trip under the Lake. It looks really different inside, the tunnels or caverns seems that were trying to say something. But nobody listened.
There was a guy explained the nature of the tunnels and what the visitant will encounter, then, suddenly Wolt heard that the workers were screaming, then a big sound like a explosion follows. It was not time to react, just to feel dust and terrain falling for different places. Wolt was in the last car of the electric train and began to run for his life.
Then he saw it. It can not believe even today, but he saw it, it was a big blue worm eating all the men at its pace. Wolt run like a crazy trying to be far away from that thing. When the worm was really close to him, the worm disappeared in another tunnel... Wolt saw the daylight, he was safe.
Just the Mayor and Wolt survived the big blue worm attack... Mayor told Wolt that he can not talk about that thing with anybody, that was classified. They have to kill that thing to open the park –he said.
- Excuse me sir, are you telling me that you are going to kill that thing and then open the park?
- Mr. Wolt it`s just a worm...
- But Mayor, it’s a big worm and ate all your men back there, I do not think it`s a good idea, and
- Mr. Wolt, there is a lot of money in this project, and will not close it just because a little inconvenience...
- That little big worm can cause you more problems sir...
But the Mayor did not listen.
They were waiting another car. Remember the driver? Well that big blue worm ate him and he has the car keys.
The Indian guy was also waiting something.
- Did you see it?
- What are you talking about?
- Your men woke up Konta and its hungry...
- No doubt it about it, that thing ate just about 60 people...
Mr. Wolt –said the Mayor, the car is ready, let’s go!
When the car was leaving a big helicopter was arriving.
- what are you going to do –Wolt asked the mayor
- I am going to finish with that monster,
- With a bomb?
- Of course not! If we use a bomb say good bye to millions for the construction and the project, we are going to use another weapon to destroy that thing
- Are you thinking what I am thinking?
- I am not thinking what you think I am thinking...
- So?
- You tell me
- That thing has been live for years under the lake, let’s introduce power lights, when the thing moves we start the lights, it going to be blind for a moment and then we can freeze it!
- Good idea! Let`s do it!!
The plan was really good, when the army took away that big blue worm was really huge, now they have another piece of the park: the big blue worm from underworld.
We were driving back to the city when I saw a big hole near the road.
- Mr. Mayor –I said
- Tell me Mr. Wolt
- Could you see that hole?
- Mmm, yes,
- I guess there were more than one big blue worm
- I guess you are...
The Mayor did not finish the sentence because another big blue worm was blocking the road, but this is another story...
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