Climate—disordered
by Sam Jr. Merwin (1910–1996)
- Free to read
- 10 min read
- Reading level: 8th & 9th grade
"Climate—disordered" by Carter Sprague is a satirical science fiction story published in the mid-20th century. The narrative centers on a public relations expert, Wiley Cordes, who devises a scheme to manipulate weather patterns to create snowstorms over a rival resort city, Burden Bay. The underlying topic explores themes of competition, ethics, and the lengths to which individuals may go for success in the business world. In the story, Wiley Cordes is hired by the Chamber of Commerce in Wheedonville by the Sea to increase its tourist trade, which has suffered due to a series of unfortunate events impacting the town. Utilizing his expertise in promotion, he decides to artificially induce snow in Burden Bay to divert attention and vacationers to Wheedonville. For a time, his plan succeeds, and the town enjoys a thriving tourist season at the expense of Burden Bay. However, Cordes's success is short-lived; eventually, his tactics backfire when the rival town adopts his weather manipulation idea for themselves, leaving Cordes and Wheedonville out in the cold, both literally and figuratively. The story offers a humorous yet cautionary look at ambition and rivalry in the resort industry.
- Science fiction
- Short stories
- Seaside resorts
Read the opening
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Startling Stories, March 1948.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The President of the Chamber of Commerce of Wheedonville by the Sea was stately and rather terrifying in his measured wrath. Nor was his peroration against the dapper young-old man who sat at the foot of the long mahogany conference table lessened by the knowledge that he had the full support of the rest of that august body.
But Wiley Cordes, on whom all this anger was focussed, appeared singularly uncowed by the disfavor in which he basked. As a seasoned resort promotion expert he was not unacquainted with municipal ire. So many unforeseen factors could send resort trade swarming to the wrong resort—as had happened in this case.
Having talked himself into the fat job of putting Wheedonville on the map as the sea-side town where vacationers would have the amusement world at their feet, he had been forced to sit by and watch the bulk of the available tourist vacation trade pass to Burden Bay, sixty miles to the south. It was too bad, of course, but a fellow could only do so much.
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About this edition
This free edition of Climate—disordered by Sam Jr. Merwin comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #68827, released 2022-08-24. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Science-Fiction & Fantasy, Humour.
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