The Experiment by Harcourt Tendhall
3 February 2021 { Horror }
It’s taken me ten years since the rejections started, but I’m almost there, ready to begin. Ten years of hard work, and most of dear Daddy’s inheritance, but it will all be worth it when I show them.
I was fortunate to find a house close to the hospital that had the main features I required. The living space was good, ready to move straight in, but the basement rooms with drains already built in are so rare. They still needed a lot of work, but I knew when I first viewed the house that, with those fundamentals already in place, it would be perfect. I had to carry out the work myself. I couldn’t risk using contractors – not just to ensure the finishes are perfect, but they’d only think I was weird, and you know how people can talk.
I took a plumbing course and an electrical wiring course. I needed to understand how to install gas pipework, then I had to install the necessary lighting and power. Obtaining the specialised equipment was a much more difficult challenge, but eastern Europe proved to be the best shopping area. Not as good quality as we have here in the UK but, by careful selection, I have obtained what I need and no awkward questions. Fortunately, the neighbours keep themselves to themselves, so I have not had to deal with prying eyes.
Eventually, I became an operating theatre orderly. It’s a low paid job, but as close as I can get with my new identity. It hasn’t been easy, but after the staff began to trust me, I worked my way into the position I wanted. Now I’m responsible for cleaning, sterilizing, and making ready all the surgical instruments required for each operation. My collection has grown; I now have everything I need.
It should never have been this way. Brilliant in every subject, all the Universities were falling over themselves to offer me a place. Then the teaching hospitals came clamouring. I was on top of the world, with the opportunity to go in whichever direction I chose.
Then slowly, piece by piece, it all came tumbling down. The fools could never recognise I was on the brink of a major discovery that would cure the majority of psychiatric and many psychological conditions. My extended thesis spelled it out quite clearly, but they just couldn’t accept the need for the experiments. This was not something you could use other primates for and it’s not like there aren’t any candidates. I spent so long talking to the best in the field, explaining the logic behind my thesis. Nobody would listen and word got round so that, in the end, I became persona non grata.
So, it came to this. Funding myself to carry out my life’s work. Work that will provide a cure for so many. It’s time to steel myself, for it won’t be easy. I’m sure there will be setbacks, but I have contingency plans in place to deal with those. One success is all I need to make them sit up and take notice.
I’ve spent the past few months helping out in my spare time at a homeless charity’s centre. They do some amazing work, providing clothing, somewhere warm these people can come for a hot meal and to socialise. They also help rehabilitate some; those who are just unfortunate, due to circumstances beyond their control, to be on the streets. I’m proud to have helped counsel some of them, giving them the confidence to get back on their feet, back on the treadmill.
The counselling has also helped me identify those who truly need my help. There’s a lot of them out there, every night; sleeping under railway arches, bridges, in doorways and occasionally, a squat. I’ve gained the trust of many of them who visit the centre, but I’ve got to know three of them much better. They are my ideal candidates.
Down in the basement, I have readied everything. The Recovery Room is prepared, bed made, oxygen on tap, ECG monitor working, alarm system operational and various drip solutions available, together with pain control options and plenty of dressings. The Operating Theatre has been scrubbed clean, all the specialist machines working and ready. The overhead lighting rig is perfect, and all my sterilized instruments are laid out, available for use. The required anaesthetic and medical gases are connected, ready to go. I even obtained three litres of fresh O-neg blood, just in case.
Tonight, one of the three is going to get lucky!
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