The answer surprised me more, than I could expect: Alexander (so was his name) answered positively, even joyfully. I remember, Alexander told me that he knew that I will approach it with a request…
From this point I simply turned the head. “How so? – I thought. – Why such person like he need some uncertain young laboratory assistant?” Whether the time can change its course? From the moment of conversation with Alexander everything began to seem to me sluggish and boring around. “Why all as though sleep? – I thought, – Waste time, are content with what have, and do not aspire to bigger, do not use the potential?”
Yes, I met of what I thought in life. I had an opportunity to changes. In any case, so it seemed to me. Passed only some days, and we already discussed plans for the future with Alexander, including development of the business. He had so many interesting ideas, subjects, ways for an embodiment that I simply lost the head and all free time literally “satisfied thirst” from shortage of creative thought, listening and absorbing, it seemed, even more, than could contain. I asked questions and received definite answers. Everything was clear to me. All ideas laid on a surface. Alexander told me about talented people, scientists, who live and work in the different cities, and everyone has development which it is possible and it is necessary to unite and realize in projects. And here that can turn out from this, Alexander suggested to consider to me. That is, in fact, he suggested me to participate and help fully him with an embodiment of grandiose ideas, thus also prompting ideas – as economically to operate all these interesting projects. And here I inspired with the opening prospect did not think even why it was offered to me to realize ideas of industrial scale. Vasya. Yes, that’s my name. Amusing coincidence.
Nevertheless, coming home and digesting the next portion of new information, I doubted. I did not trust myself and was not up to the end confident in the events. Then I asked Alexander:
– But how? Why other people could not agree among themselves earlier and did not make the obvious?
He laughed and told of what I thought:
– All live dreamily around, and you, Vasily, has a chance “to wake up” and do interesting, courageous things, to realize the latest scientific, engineering, financial ideas, it is natural to solve all family problems, having made the life joyful … But to reach good life, it is necessary to make efforts.
I understood: to completely give myself to new business, I needed to leave scientific research institute where I worked. It was very not easy psychologically, morally (in fact, I left in anywhere), and after all to none of relatives will not explain that here so, “from scratch”, it is possible to build other world which lives by other rules and in other scales. But whether I thought of it recently?.. Accident?.. How to tell the wife who in a maternity leave, what I quit “good” job for the sake of realization of ideas of other level? Before a family I never forgot about the responsibility and knew that everything that I plan to make, will be for the good of a family and the future. Somehow I will explain…
Having thumbed through the subsequent moments, I stop and look back. Yes, since then, as I left the scientific research institute, passed some months. I with the head am shipped in studying of new materials, we meet different people – everything, as well as Alexander spoke, came true. Right now I am in big, beautiful office. We with Alexander just arrived to one well-known professor – to Butanovich who professionally is engaged in studying and search of new oil and gas fields. Around there is a lot of various equipment, car for printing, computers … Directly before me professor’s office. I already began to get used to that new people with whom I was brought together by life, differ in identity, but here I nevertheless had to be surprised. In an office of professor it was almost empty: a huge table on which sheets of a Whatman paper, still pencils, markers of several flowers, a candlestick with a deposit from candles are spread out. On an empty wall some icons, and professor Butanovich, hung over a table, applied on a Whatman paper contours and lines. Periodically he whispered something to himself, put a pencil aside and… That I saw in a hand at Butanovich, caused in me genuine delight. It was the pendulum – just the same, as in books from the childhood. Alexander was happy that he made me a pleasant surprise, and told that long ago wanted to acquaint me with professor that I could adopt “secrets” of his skill.
I decided to ask by all means professor on everything that was connected with a pendulum: what specifically the pendulum helps him as well as from whom Butanovich requests information, whether somebody else (meaning, of course, myself) can use his pendulum? It appeared that for a long time at professor the idea to find on the world map all existing, but yet not known oil fields, gas and fresh water was born. And, as he claimed, he can make it without the aid of difficult geological prospecting technique – simply “asking” an information field of Earth.
– Here, look, Vasily, – Butanovich told, displaying on a big table a contour map of Norway, – now I will “request” information on, whether is in this district a deposit of natural gas.
Professor began to prepare for “inquiries”: lit a candle, in a whisper read some offers, took a pendulum in a hand and began to drive slowly a hand over the card. After a while the pendulum in hands of professor began to rotate over the same place.
– You see, the pendulum turns itself and shows if there is a gas?
I saw that the pendulum really rotates, but from outside it seemed that Butanovich simply twists it a hand.
– How the pendulum can rotate itself? – I asked.
– Definitely I don’t know, – professor answered, – but right now I undoubtedly feel as if someone operates my hand, I receive feedback, asking the questions. I can ask anything about a field which I look for: about a layer depth, its volume, I can determine contours of gas or oil layer in a section by depth, a chemical composition and so on.
I looked at professor. The pendulum in his hands was the universal information tool. Butanovich “interrogated” the next object on the card and asked the questions.
– This layer contains oil?
The pendulum drew the vertical line meaning “yes”. Having put a pendulum aside, professor wrote down the answer on paper.
– This layer of oil contains sulfur impurity?
And again the pendulum from quietly hanging state turned into sure vertical rocking. Now it was necessary to define, how many percent of impurity of sulfur in this layer of oil.
– Is it more than 1%? – “Yes”.
– Is it more than 1,5%? – Again, “Yes”.
– Is it more than 2%? – The pendulum answered “no”, having turned into horizontal swing.
Then professor lined a sheet of paper on sectors and wrote figures: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Having asked a pendulum to specify precisely, how many the tenth shares of percent of impurity of sulfur, professor placed a hand with a pendulum over figures. And the pendulum deviated in an interval between figures 5 and 6, closer to 6.
– Here you see, sulfur impurity from 1,5 to 1,6%. It would be possible to detail further though to thousand shares of percent, – happy professor told.
I liked to watch process of work of professor long. During “inquiries” he was very concentrated, could work for hours, not sleep at the nights, and having had a sleep some hours, again turned to work. It seemed to me that he… hurried, perhaps, was afraid not to manage to request information and was glad that its topographic maps, figures, records – all this finally will not be gone, and will bring benefit to mankind. As then it became clear, because of the ability to receive information from a pendulum professor left oil research institute: could not look quietly how his colleagues “sleep”, using, from his point of view, technologies of the last century for oil exploration of reserves, breaking ecology, carrying out drilling of hundreds of unsuccessful wells. And, strangely enough, dear person, professor became by and large almost an eremite: very few people understand it and none of colleagues do not support. Now I began to realize as far as professor is confident in the mission: he invested almost all the money in purchase of computers, plotters, removed office, is ready to open cooperation with Alexander (and with me). Alexander convinced professor that will be able to attract investors and it is favorable to sell all practices on oil and gas. Yes what here to say if one case, one new, earlier unknown field is confirmed at least, persons interested will cooperate with us “to stand in turn”. Our joint business would become for all of us “engine”, and we agreed that potential investors, having made rather small sums in drilling on the specified coordinates, will be able to be convinced that our new organization has information on water-supplies and oil worldwide, and for me and Alexander it would be check of professor that it really possesses ability “to see through the earth”.