I think the Doctor has done something remarkable. I mean it. That report of his—it’s bold, it’s urgent, it’s science in the raw. He found poison in the prettiest glass in town, and he didn’t blink. That takes spine. But here’s what I don’t think he realizes yet: this isn’t just about the water. It never was.
See, I’ve been sitting on that original article he wrote about the Springs since winter. I knew then it’d have more impact in spring—when tourists start planning, when money moves. Timing is everything. But now? Now I’ve got something even better. A scandal.
What the Doctor calls pollution—I call leverage. Because the real rot in this town doesn’t start underground. It starts at the top. These bureaucrats—the same smug, self-satisfied fossils who tell us what’s safe, what’s beautiful, what’s “best for us”—they’re the ones who approved that system in the first place. The pipes run downhill, but the responsibility? That runs up. And finally, someone has handed me a map. Five pages. Five explosive, irrefutable pages. If we print it—really print it—front page, above the fold, under the masthead.. it could be the start of something. A shift. A break in the dam.
You know, when I took over this paper, I swore I’d use it to blow open the walls of that old boy’s club. I didn’t want to just inform—I wanted to unseat. “Journalism,” someone once said, “is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” Well… this one’s going to burn. And I want the Doctor to know—we’re behind him. A hundred percent. Because he’s not just exposing bacteria—he’s exposing complacency. But we can’t come at it all teeth bared. I’ve had enough of wild-eyed radicalism to know it doesn’t stick. No, no—this has to be civilized. Measured. Devastating.
We say: “Look, here’s what the science says.” “Here’s what they didn’t want you to see.” “Here’s who’s really running this town—and running it into the ground.”
And the best part? The Doctor’s brother is the Mayor. The centerpiece of the entire rotten system. Normally, I wouldn’t touch that kind of personal mess. But this time? This time it proves the point. That even the family dinner table isn’t safe from truth. That’s how deep the corruption goes. And that’s how high the stakes have to be.
Me? I’m just a printer’s son. But I’ve got influence now. Property owners call me first. Developers listen when I raise my voice. And I can feel it in the air—the rumbles of something bigger. If we do this right, if the Doctor plays his part—this story doesn’t just collapse a water system. It topples a regime. And when the dust settles, who do you think they’ll turn to?
Who’ll be left holding the pen? Not Peter Stockmann. Not the “well-intentioned men of goodwill” who keep polishing their chairs while the ship sinks. No—this is the story that makes me a serious man in this town. And if the Doctor keeps talking, I’ll keep the presses running.”