Thursday, September 8, 2011

Eyes like a Hawk.



Hawk sight.

Every year between September and November, thousands upon thousands of Raptors fly over the Northeast on their way down south. Hawks, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles are just some of the birds seen. Chimney Rock, New Jersey is maybe 1000 feet in size, but birdwatchers flock there to see this magnificent sight. Most eyes are turned to the skies. But a look down reveals giant gravel mounds left by the mines that still pump out Copper and Calcite. 

Akash Sinh works in these mines. On the days off, he goes onto Chimney Rock and looks through his binoculars. Around him are other avid birdwatchers looking to the skies. But, today, he is alone. Despite torrential rain and wind, he is determined to be the first to see the birds fly by after the storm. A shriek in the quarry below startles him. As he looks, he sees two men carrying something heavy into the mine. Again and again, these men do this as though by rote. Over a period of a half-hour, a little more than dozen of these heavy packages are left in the mines. Puzzled, He decides to keep this to himself. The storm runs for almost two days. In the aftermath of the storm, the biggest news story is the disappearance of a large group college students who were coming back from spring break. One of the missing left a desperate sounding voice mail to his father before it was cut off. Akash wonders what to do. Does he speak up and possibly be in danger himself or just shut up and keep on living. How are his wife and two-year-old son affected by this. Is his family's safety and joy greater than that of all the families who worry about their missing children? What will he see if he goes that deep into the mines? 

-

This post and all others on this blog use the Creative Commons - Share alike license. 


No comments:

Post a Comment