You will be given a summary of a story. You need to create a question that can be answered from the story. You can create a question about characters, events, facts and beliefs, etc. Your question should be specific, try not to use pronouns instead of full names. As the stories are sometimes movie plots, they will contain actor names in parentheses. You should not use those names. Only use character names. Try to ask a question about all parts of the plot, not just the beginning.

 The story begins with an account of how geologists in the mid-1960s came to understand that the "Kiowa fault" in the state of Colorado was actually part of a larger fault system running along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains from Texas to the Canada US border. In the summer of 1973 the land east of the fault slips downward, slowly but inexorably over the next few months, until the major rivers of the region (including the Mississippi) flood the new lowlands. The process is slow enough for people to flee eastwards, though conditions become more and more hazardous as the flooding increases.
The story recounts how, during this time the various authorities such as the Federal government and the State governors, try to quell panic by invoking patriotism or, in the case of the governors, the stalwart nature of the people of the "great Southland".
However the next act of nature proves even more cataclysmic. The Gulf coast of the United States, from western Florida to Lake Pontchartrain, simply sinks below sea level. The sea floods the new lowlands from the Texas Panhandle to North Dakota. As many as 14 million people perish. The state of Oklahoma is completely lost, as are most of the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Arkansas. The Ozarks become an archipelago.
There are tales of amazing escapes mentioned in the story, and of foolishness, as for instance when the governor of Kansas decides to stand fast and is wiped out along with most of his state.
Finally the country is left divided by a new inland sea, almost as big as the Mediterranean. The economy recovers, and the climate of the inner part of the country actually improves due to the moderating effect of this large body of water. The state of Wyoming becomes "a new Riviera" while Missouri is a "second California". Minnesota loses its famously Arctic winters.
The author comments wryly on the political fallout. The states which kept some portion of their land above water eventually demand their full representation in Congress, including two Senators each for several states which exist only as slivers of land.
Trade and commerce flourish on the new waterway. Eventually the new sea can be fished to great profit. The story ends with an optimistic view of a vibrant future in which "fleets of all the world sail...where once the prairie schooner made its laborious and dusty way west!".
What happened to the governor of Kansas?

 The book was intended as an expos  of the situation in the so-called Congo Free State (labelled a "rubber regime" by Conan Doyle), an area occupied and designated as the personal property of Leopold II of Belgium and where the serious human rights abuses were occurring. Indigenous people in the region were being brutally exploited and tortured, particularly in the lucrative rubber trade. In the introduction to The Crime of the Congo Conan Doyle wrote: "I am convinced that the reason why public opinion has not been more sensitive upon the question of the Congo Free State is that the terrible story has not been brought thoroughly home to the people", a situation he intended to rectify. Conan Doyle was "strongly of the opinion" that the crimes committed on the Congo were "the greatest to be ever known",and he lauded the work of the Congo Reform Association. Conan Doyle was dismissive of the annexation of the state by Belgium, a situation intended to end the personal rule of the King. Conan Doyle noted that slavery and ivory poaching continued to occur after annexation and that "The Congo State was founded by the Belgian King, and exploited by Belgian capital, Belgian soldiers and Belgian concessionnaires. It was defended and upheld by successive Belgian Governments, who did all they could to discourage the Reformers".
How did Conan receive the annexation of the state by Belgium?

 Richard, a young American seeking adventure in Bangkok, meets the eccentric Daffy, who tells him of a pristine, uninhabited island in the Gulf of Thailand with a beautiful hidden beach and lagoon. Daffy explains that he and other travelers settled there in secret several years earlier, but difficulties arose and he chose to leave. Daffy commits suicide, leaving Richard a map to the island. Richard convinces a young French couple, Fran oise and  tienne, to accompany him to the island, and the three travel to Ko Samui. Richard meets two Americans who have heard rumors of the island, including that huge amounts of cannabis supposedly grow there. Before departing, Richard leaves them a copy of the map.
En route to the island, Richard becomes infatuated with Fran oise. After swimming to the island from a neighboring one, they find a large cannabis plantation guarded by armed Thai farmers. Avoiding detection, they make their way across the island and are welcomed into the secret beach settlement. The community's leader, Sal, explains that the farmers allow them to stay so long as they keep to themselves and do not allow any more travelers to come to the island. Richard lies that they have not shown the map to anyone else, which satisfies Sal. The trio become integrated into the largely self-sufficient and leisurely community. The relationship between Richard and Fran oise becomes romantic, and  tienne says he will not stand in their way if Fran oise is happier with Richard. Tensions rise between Richard and Sal's boyfriend Bugs; when Richard gains celebrity by killing a shark, Bugs mocks him over the shark's small size.
When Sal selects Richard to accompany her on a supply run to Ko Pha Ngan, Bugs warns him to keep his hands off her. While there they encounter the Americans Richard met in Ko Samui, who are preparing to search for the island and mention Richard's map. Richard lies to Sal that he did not give them a copy, and she blackmails him into having sex with her. On their return to the island, Richard lies to Fran oise about having slept with Sal. Things return to normal until a shark attack kills one of the community's fishermen and leaves another, Christo, severely injured. Sal refuses to compromise the community's secrecy by bringing medical help, and Christo refuses to travel to the mainland. His worsening condition affects the group's morale, so they isolate him in a tent despite  tienne's objections.
When the Americans from Ko Pha Ngan turn up on the neighboring island, Sal sees that they have a copy of the map and orders Richard to observe them until they cross over, then intercept them and destroy it. She tells everyone that she and Richard had sex, which leaves Fran oise angry and heartbroken. Isolated from the group, Richard begins to lose his sanity, stalking the cannabis farmers and imagining that he is conversing with the deceased Daffy. The Americans reach the island but are discovered and killed by the farmers. Shocked at witnessing their deaths, Richard tries to gather Fran oise and  tienne to leave the island.  tienne refuses to leave Christo, whose leg has become gangrenous, so Richard euthanizes Christo by suffocation.
Richard is captured by the farmers and brought before the community. The lead farmer gives Sal a gun loaded with a single bullet and orders her to make a choice: kill Richard and the group will be allowed to stay, or else they must all leave immediately. Sal pulls the trigger, but the chamber is empty. Shocked by her willingness to commit murder, the community abandons Sal, leaving the island and going their separate ways. Later, Richard receives an email from Fran oise with a group photograph of the beach community in happier times.

What did Bugs tease Richard about?

