FREE ESSAY ON MR. BOWDITCH

MR. BOWDITCH

Sphere is about a futuristic sphere that gives a group of scientists a special and unusual
power- the power of being able to turn fantasy into reality. The group of scientists are
kept in total wonder as to why they were being sent to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The scientists consisted of Norman Johnson, a psychologist; Beth Halpern, a zoologist and
biochemist; Harry Adams, a mathematician; and Ted Fielding, an astrophysicist. Each
scientist played an important role- Norman was to watch the team because no one had ever
seen an alien and they didn't know how people would react. Beth was to assess any life
form that the team might come across. Harry was there because math is the universal
language and Ted was there to determine where in the universe the aliens came from. 
The story begins as Norman is being transported in a Sea Knight. After Norman arrives at
the site, he is directly escorted to his quarters until Captain Barnes came and retrieved
him. On their way to the submersible, he explained to everyone in the group what was
going on. He told them that there was a titanium fin found 1,000 feet under the ocean and
that it is over 1/2 mi. long. He also informed them that the spacecraft had been in that
location for almost 300 years (they could date the time because of the coral growth-
coral grows at 1 in. a year). 
When they all arrived at the underwater habitat, they were sent to a compression chamber
to bring them to the right pressure. The reason for the habitat is that it has the weight
of air plus the weight of water pushing down on it. If the habitat had the same pressure
as the surface, it would implode. After compression, the team was sent to their quarters
for some rest before they set out to the spacecraft. When the crew was all rested and
refreshed, they suited up into insulated suits and jumped into the water. They then
proceeded to the airlock.
After passing through the airlock and into the ship, they split up into two teams. Norman
and Beth were teamed up while Barnes, Harry, and Ted went another way. While they were
exploring, Beth and Norman were accidentally transported to the control room. There they
found out- with the help of the ship's computers and a suit on a dead body- found a
surprising discovery- the ship was American. It must have been transported back in time
through a black hole from the year 2043 all the way back to 1743 and landed in the
ocean.
While Beth and Norman were in the control room, the other group stumbled upon a
gargantuan golden sphere. After Norman and Beth had caught up to them, they were running
low on air and set up a video camera. As they were about to leave, they noticed that
there was no entry into the sphere- no door, no hatch, nothing- but Norman noticed that
the sphere reflected everything- except image of the team. 
As most of the team was sleeping, Harry slipped on his suit and went to the sphere. As he
was standing there, the sphere somehow took him inside itself. By the time that Norman
reached him, he was unconscious. After they got him back to base, one of the crew members
was outside doing some work when she was attacked by jellyfish and was killed because the
animals had made miniscule holes which leaked extensively and she drowned. No one left
the confines of the habitat because they were cut off from the ship up top- supposedly
there was a severe storm and they missed their ride because of Harry's little stunt.
As the days went by they were forced to talk to each other and entertain one another.
Harry was reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and was quite enjoying it. Since the crew
member that was killed by the jellyfish, Norman and Beth took on the responsibility. What
they had to do was take video footage that was stored and take it to a sub on a timer. If
no one reset the timer in 12 hours, the sub would float to the surface with the videos
inside. That way, if anything happened, there would be some idea of what went wrong. 
As Norman and Beth were coming out of the sub, Barnes warned them of a giant object
coming towards them. They scrambled for the hatchway and just made it inside before the
whole habitat was shaken. They soon found out it was a giant squid. After many tense
minutes of fixing leaks and crew members dying, the only people left alive were Norman,
Beth, and Harry, who somehow managed to sleep through the whole attack. They were all
starting to get suspicious of Harry. How could he have slept through the whole attack and
not even stir in his sleep?
As Norman and Harry were sitting around talking, they noticed that Beth was nowhere to be
found. A quick look in the video room put her just outside the airlock. Beth had also
gone inside the sphere. When she got back, they were all suspicious of each other, for
all of them had gone into the sphere. Earlier, before Beth had disappeared, Norman and
Beth were talking about how Harry was reading about squids in his book and he was asleep
of the time of the attack. Harry must have dreamt about squids and somehow made them come
to life- but how? The sphere, it must be!
As they all soon realize that they all had entered the sphere at one time or another-
Norman when he rescued Harry and Beth on her own will- they all knew of the great power
that they each possessed. As they were all standing around discussing what to do, the
intercom broke in saying Ten minutes until Gregor explosive detonation. Norman and Harry
both turn to Beth who is looking sheepishly guilty and she explains that she had rigged
the craft with high-power explosives. They all scrambled for their suits and hurried
toward the sub. But right as they were ready to go and had to push a button, they were
transported to the spacecraft. As they were all screaming and worrying about what they
were doing back on the craft and how they were going to die, Norman chimes up and tells
them that it is just their minds playing tricks on them- they were still in the sub!
After he said this, he could see the button and slammed it with all of his might. The sub
detached with a loud SHHUNK and they were free!
After they had been picked up and done with decompression (without it, the gases in their
blood vessels would expand and literally pop them), they were talking when all of a
sudden they realized what a tremendous gift they possessed. They had the power to think
of something and it would come true, but they also realized that our day and age had too
much hate and fear in it for this power. So they all vowed to forget the whole thing ever
happened- to forget about the habitat, to forget about the squids, to forget about the
jellyfish and the death and chaos- and to most certainly forget about the sphere. And as
they mentioned all of these things, it clicked to them why there was no living crew- they
had all gone into the sphere and were so paranoid of each other that they killed each
other off until no one was left. And as they counted to three and vowed never to remember
the sphere again, they felt a great peace come over them; for they knew that they were
doing the world a favor by hiding this power until we are ready for it and can handle the
responsibility that goes with it.