Jirba

Based on the short story “Piper in The Woods” By Philip K. Dick, Dr. Henry Harris, is an alienated industrial therapist who works for an interstellar water bottle company. Harris is sent to investigate a strange phenomena happening at one of the company’s filtration facilities located on the moon of Jirba. Many of the plant workers are claiming to have turned into “plants” and are now refusing to do their jobs. Harris manages to learn from one of the workers that there are these mysterious beings in the forest called the Pipers and that the Pipers taught the workers how to become plants. Harris is denied entry into the forest by his Superior, but determined to solve the mystery, he decides to sneak in. Harris learns that the Pipers don’t actually exist but instead an indigenous society of hunter gatherers who have modified the forest into a food garden, and are attempting to convince the workers not to steal the water. Harris theorizes that the alienated workers, are surprised by the seemingly simple existence of the Jirbans and are coping with their jobs by becoming “plants”. Harris heads back to the main facility to notify his Superior of what’s happening. But is taken aback by his Superior’s threats to genocide the natives. Feeling complicit, Harris can’t help but hear the industrial water pipe sounds that have taken over Jirba and succumbs to becoming a plant himself.