The Revenant by Mike Sheridan

Author:Mike Sheridan [Sheridan, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-17T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Walter strolled down a well-worn footpath along the west side of the camp. It led to the Conassauga River, where he’d been told he would find Jonah and Billy. Though the day was warm, the clouds were dark gray and the wind had picked up. It looked like a storm was on its way.

For the past two days, he’d had put his micro hydro project on hold. He’d been busy with a series of meetings involving the two camps as the Alaculsy Valley Security Council discussed a range of issues such as communications, perimeter patrols, and joint training exercises. Since their confrontation with Mason, both camps knew just how critical it was to have strict security measures in place. With everything finally agreed on, Walter was ready to build his waterwheel.

“Caught anything?” he asked, arriving down at the riverbank where Jonah and Billy stood with their rods dangling over the water. Ever since he’d introduced them, the two had become as thick as thieves, often joined by Clete whenever there was a fishing expedition to stock the pond.

Billy pointed down at a nearby plastic bucket containing three large brown trout.

“Lunch?” Walter asked. “Or stock?”

“Stock,” Billy told him.

“Only another ninety-seven to go, then. Keep going.” Walter turned to Jonah. “Remember I said I might need some help with a project I had in mind? Well, I’m starting on it today.”

“Yeh mean the micro thingamajig you told me about?”

“Yes, a micro hydro. A waterwheel, to be exact.”

“Remind me what that does again?” Jonah asked, reeling in his line.

“It creates electricity, similar to wind energy,” Billy cut in before Walter could reply. “Like those big turbines you see on the tops of hills. Only they run on water, not wind.”

“Exactly. Was Willow Spring off the grid?” Walter asked, referring to the organic farm Billy had grown up on.

Billy shook his head. “No, but my father hooked up solar and wind power to keep our energy costs down.”

“How did that work out?”

“The solar panels worked pretty good. The wind turbine never did much. You sure this waterwheel is going to work? My father used to tell me that before he started any project, he always calculated the R.O…” He stopped, struggling to remember the acronym he was looking for.

“R.O.I.,” Walter finished for him.“Return on investment.” Walter was impressed yet again by the young boy’s knowledge of such matters. “The problem with wind is that it’s an unreliable source of power, and doesn’t work well in small-scale setups. The creek I intend using will supply us with constant power. I’ve already built a dam to increase the water pressure. So, Jonah, you interested in helping out? Ned told me it was okay to steal you for a few days. The waterwheel ought to generate enough power for both our communities.”

“Deffo. A bit of light in the evenings would be a grand thing. Only I don’t do anything these days without me wingman, Billy the Kid.” Jonah winked at Walter. “Yeh get two for the price of one when yeh sign me up.

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