Gerfertig had been listening intently and jumped in at this point. "The dike is a very old formation, one of the oldest in the world. It's part of the stable bedrock that makes Texas so impervious to earthquakes."

I forged ahead. "OK, so my theory is that this element collected up against a quartz formation while much of the surface of the earth was still cooling, and it has been preserved here because of the extremely stable geologic conditions."

"That may be all well and good, but as Mr. Amato said, the Element 126 would have still decayed," Gerfertig said.

"I don't know, and from what I've read, I don't think anyone knows the effects of high levels of radioactivity inside crystalline structures. But I know how another kind of energy can be isolated and preserved. It's called a thermos."

Mike asked, in his most reasonable tone, "Then why are we the first people in the history of the whole human race to ever find this Element 126?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked. We aren't. It's been around for thousands of years."

Mike made a dismissive sound.

I looked evenly at him. "It jumped out at me while doing the search. Ancient alchemists claimed they had a formula to turn lead into gold. And the main ingredient, from what has come down to us, was mercury. Maybe they made the same mistake we just made, and thought it was mercury. What if it was this Element 126, which looks so much like mercury. If you could stabilize it, it is so radioactive that, with a little prodding by adding a small amount of energy, a low frequency wave of radiation could easily pop an electron shell lose."

I let it sink in. "If you read the accounts of the alchemists working to turn lead into gold, they mention the pungent smell of what we know today is ozone. They used primitive stills and distillation apparatuses to agitate the 'mercury' until it pulsed out an intense low-frequency wave of radiation."

"Who knows, whether it was in Atlantis or Egypt or Rome, someone found one of these decayed geodes and released the element. It might be considered the start of atomic science, the transmutation of lead into gold. And descriptions of some of the alchemists from the Middle Ages indicate they might have been exposed to radiation, Remember, they also claimed to have found the Elixir of Life. Small doses of radiation in the right range would help kill off the germs they were laden with because of poor hygiene."

"Radiation sterilization," said Mike.

"Right. But after a while, no one could find more of this magic liquid, at least in the civilized world, after it had all been searched out. They only had mercury left to use, because that's what it decayed into. The fact mercury and Element 126 are both silvery liquids explains the confusion."

"Cripes, this could be one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the ages."

"Not unless we find another of these things."

Gerfertig spoke up. "I know where there's one sitting at the base of the cliff. I haven't been eager to poke at it."

"Let's get real," said Mike. "We are tickling the dragon's tail. We can't handle something as potentially dangerous as this."

Gerfertig interrupted. "Mr. Amato, have you ever heard the saying about owing the bank money? If you owe the bank a thousand dollars, it's your problem. If you owe them a million dollars..."

"...it's their problem. So what has this got to do with us?"

"Oh, I know exactly what he means." And I did. "If this was a case of illegal radiological waste dumping, it would be a problem for Stonewall Bricks and Industro-Kleen. But we're dealing with the discovery of a previously unknown source of a radioactive element."

I turned to Gerfertig and said in mock formal fashion, "I recommend you contact the Department of Energy immediately."

"I have a 24-hour emergency number," he said. "It's to be used for reporting NORM."

The people from the Department of Energy were there before midnight.

The people of Pineville at first despised Industro-Kleen for its report identifying a rare but toxic mold found in the clay, but the scads of government buy-out dollars dumped on adjacent property owners made the end of the era much more bearable.

Stonewall Brick was bought out by an previously unheard German company, EHSS (Einhundertsechundswansig) GmBh., supposedly for strategic business reasons.

Mike and I were both offered generous positions with the dummy outfit that bought Stonewall and Industro-Kleen, based on our abiding by the very precise terms of an agreement.

Mike signed off and took a very nice retirement with the family in Alaska. So much for the Texas summer.

I had qualms for a little while, but I didn't see much alternative. There was no way, with the terrorism abroad in the world, I would let it get out that a new naturally occurring radioactive element had been discovered--especially a liquid one. Yep, I could have just seen Saddam Hussein with a lead-lined thermos of that juice.

As it was, the geology under Pineville is unique, and no other sources have been found. Recovery continues very quietly at the clay pit.

The most satisfying thing, for me, was how Gerfertig and the other men got the medical care they needed, thoroughly and discretely. Gerfertig still lives on the property; the townspeople assume he is just a caretaker for the shuttered property.

The government treated us all quite well, when they realized we were reasonable guys and the discovery was an easily concealed accident. I found myself at age 23 with a guaranteed lifelong salary and some very lucrative investments, and plenty of time to work on my formula for the perfect beer.

I don't feel guilty as all for taking the government's 'gold,' because the money is my payment for having to suppress the gloat of knowing I am the guy who solved the great riddle of history--How to make gold out of lead.

Actually, I like to flatter myself because I think I went the alchemists and philosophers one better, because I was able to make 'gold' out of think air. Silence is golden. I think that's a heck of a transmutation.

Anyhow, that's the story. Whenever anyone asks me where I got my money, I tell them I inherited it from my Uncle Norm. Of course, I guess I technically broke my agreement with the government, by telling you. But you won't tell anyone, will you, now? That's a good girl. Anyhow, I think I've gotten enough sun. I think it's time for me to take off. Oh, yes, look what we have here. Want the stick? Sure. Fetch!