Everyone knew the Paul Barrow story and soon you will too. Barrow was an inventor of useful things, and had begun his war against hassle while still in nappies. Aged six years and fifty-four days old, he bumbled to his father excitedly, to inform him of his newest invention. His father knelt down to ruffle young Paul's hair and grinned as he listened to the rudimentary design. After its conclusion, he told him it was a wonderful idea, but a grownup boy or girl had already created it and had already given it a name, which was a bidet. Many years passed and countless contraptions followed before Paul moved to The Sector in order to pursue his dreams, and believed in his first winter there that he had created his best work yet.
After countless submissions, revisions and redrafted blueprints, thousands of busy hands constructed a giant tarpaulin following specific instructions. It hung from the top of each of wall and draped over the empty space between them. Woven into the top of the material were a vast number of heating units, which would thaw the snow that fell on top. Once this took place, the water produced would drain through strategically placed holes and into tubes that contained flaps connected to cogs and a generator. The meticulous plans explained the water would run past the flaps, spin the cogs and generate electricity, which powered the heaters as well as the whole field of light bulbs wired into the underside of Barrow's brain child.
The first day of testing was a resounding success. A light dusting of snow settled on the giant sheet for mere moments, before the heaters completed their intended purpose and the predicted reactions took place.
Things may have been different if the winter was mild. As historical weather records will show, on the second day of the trial, there was heavy snowfall. For a time, the citizens of The Sector below the glowing bulbs went about their daily activities with ignorant bliss. They remained unaware of the mass of snow gathering above their heads.
Barrow blamed the fitters for indolent labour which resulted in faulty wiring and reduced the amount of generators available to create energy for sufficient heat. The fitters responded in defence and claimed they followed orders to exact specifications and that Barrow's calculations were inaccurate. A small band of citizens of The Sector who represented a vast minority, and received widespread perplexion, blamed homosexuals for the incident.
Regardless of who was responsible, on eight o'clock on the second day, the metal rungs at the top of each wall pushed through the concrete, like teeth boring through fresh gum, and sent a giant load of snow, metal and glass onto The Sector below. The result of the disaster was over two-hundred people injured, seven buildings destroyed beyond repair and one inventors reputation tarnished forever.
Despite this catastrophe, Barrow remained a popular figure within The Sector. His peers unanimous in agreement that he was devoid of blame, however the months that followed were wrought with jokes. After an extended period of internal deliberation, he requested a transfer and departed from The Sector. He left disgraced and attained a different surname as soon as he settled into a new home.
Part of this was because Barrow's surname had become synonymous for something which seemed like a good idea, but instead turned out to be a bad one. Before long it slipped into every day conversation, in order to cover up previously uncomfortable rejections of suggestions.
"I don't know about that," one might say, "That sounds like a Barrow to me."
The Sector was a popular one, so there was no worry about a shortage of eager participants as replacements and with the aftermath swept away, new batches of citizens moved into The Sector and soon adopted the dialect themselves. Many of them unaware of the history behind the phrase at first repetition. Some men wish for their names to be remembered for eternity and it seems that Paul Barrow had achieved as good as one could hope for, if only for a time.
People emigrated from a variety of different sectors and for a variety of different reasons. Many saw this as an opportunity to change the world in their own way, yet a rare few managed to in the way they foresaw.
To Lonnie and Chuck their relocation proved a new opportunity, rife with possibilities to divulge in their interests. The pair settled in fast and were soon able to join in with conversations, no longer forced to linger on the outskirts, and faces now glowed with recognition in the street instead of passing with an icy unfamiliarity.