The Device
"Just stay out of my way, and don't touch anything."
With that brusque command, Mark invited his nephew and the kid's friend into his house after they were dropped off by Mark's sister-in-law.
"Can we watch some TV?" Perry, Mark's nephew, made a reasonable request, considering that he and his 12-year-old friend got bored rather easily.
Mark frowned, wanting to get back to his lab. "I don't have a television."
Perry's friend, Seth, groaned. "No TV?"
"I don't have time for television," Mark explained, irritated at having to explain himself to the brat. In truth, he had been forced to trim his television service from the household budget as expenses rose. That didn't matter, though. If his imminent testing of his new device proved successful, money would never be a problem for him again.
"There's a nice park only a few blocks from here," Mark said. "You could both walk to the park and enjoy the sunshine," he added, totally without awareness of his own pale, pasty complexion from never leaving his home.
The kids followed him through the house. They both rushed toward the terrarium in the living room and pressed grimy hands against the glass. "This is cool," Seth said. "What do you have in there?"
Mark frowned more intensely. "Just a frog," he muttered.
The boys next noticed a jar labeled "Grubs," which Perry picked up and gave a good shake. The grubs inside began to squirm.
"Put that down," Mark said, just as a loud crash drew his attention back to Seth, who had knocked over an empty container.
"Oops," the boy said.
"What are these for?" Perry hadn't returned the jar of grubs to the shelf.
Mark swiped the jar from his nephew's hand and replaced it on the shelf. "Food for the frog," he said.
"Oh, cool!" Perry said. "Can we feed the frog?"
"No," Mark said. "I only feed him twice a day.'
"Please," Perry said, starting an entreaty also taken up by Seth.
"No," Mark said.
"So, how about the park?"
"Can we get some money for a snack and a drink?" Perry drove a hard bargain.
"Didn't your father give you spending money?"
Perry lied. "No, I guess he forgot."
Mark reluctantly took a ten dollar bill from his wallet. "Make sure you bring me back any change."
Mark gladly closed the front door after he escorted them out of the house. "I'll come get you in a few hours," he promised.
The boys exchanged indifferent looks and headed toward the park.
Finally... he was alone again to work on his machine... and some hour later, he did it, it worked.
"Finally," Mark exclaimed. He hurried back to his lab, totally full of adrenalin and excitement.
Success would justify him. No one had believed in him after he lost his job at Trans-Corp. He was actually fired, and then all his friends broke contact wit him. He had been determined to complete his research on his own, and had sank all his resources into it until he was near losing his house.
Once he had the machine's scanner activated, he needed some items to transform. There wasn't anything around the lab. He walked upstairs for a quick scavenger hunt. He returned to the lab with a box of tacks and the jar of grubs.
The jar was nearly empty of grubs, which were quite expensive but necessary since the frog needed live food in order to thrive.
He ran the scanner over the jar's few remaining grubs. He then repeated the process on the nails in the box.
"Let's see if I can solve the frog's food problem," he said, flipping a switch.
The nails in the box disappeared, each of them becoming a pale, squirming grub. Delighted, Mark emptied the grubs in the box into the jar.
Now he wouldn't ever need to order new grubs. He could always create new ones out of even cheap garbage!
With that brusque command, Mark invited his nephew and the kid's friend into his house after they were dropped off by Mark's sister-in-law.
"Can we watch some TV?" Perry, Mark's nephew, made a reasonable request, considering that he and his 12-year-old friend got bored rather easily.
Mark frowned, wanting to get back to his lab. "I don't have a television."
Perry's friend, Seth, groaned. "No TV?"
"I don't have time for television," Mark explained, irritated at having to explain himself to the brat. In truth, he had been forced to trim his television service from the household budget as expenses rose. That didn't matter, though. If his imminent testing of his new device proved successful, money would never be a problem for him again.
"There's a nice park only a few blocks from here," Mark said. "You could both walk to the park and enjoy the sunshine," he added, totally without awareness of his own pale, pasty complexion from never leaving his home.
The kids followed him through the house. They both rushed toward the terrarium in the living room and pressed grimy hands against the glass. "This is cool," Seth said. "What do you have in there?"
Mark frowned more intensely. "Just a frog," he muttered.
The boys next noticed a jar labeled "Grubs," which Perry picked up and gave a good shake. The grubs inside began to squirm.
"Put that down," Mark said, just as a loud crash drew his attention back to Seth, who had knocked over an empty container.
"Oops," the boy said.
"What are these for?" Perry hadn't returned the jar of grubs to the shelf.
Mark swiped the jar from his nephew's hand and replaced it on the shelf. "Food for the frog," he said.
"Oh, cool!" Perry said. "Can we feed the frog?"
"No," Mark said. "I only feed him twice a day.'
"Please," Perry said, starting an entreaty also taken up by Seth.
"No," Mark said.
"So, how about the park?"
"Can we get some money for a snack and a drink?" Perry drove a hard bargain.
"Didn't your father give you spending money?"
Perry lied. "No, I guess he forgot."
Mark reluctantly took a ten dollar bill from his wallet. "Make sure you bring me back any change."
Mark gladly closed the front door after he escorted them out of the house. "I'll come get you in a few hours," he promised.
The boys exchanged indifferent looks and headed toward the park.
Finally... he was alone again to work on his machine... and some hour later, he did it, it worked.
"Finally," Mark exclaimed. He hurried back to his lab, totally full of adrenalin and excitement.
Success would justify him. No one had believed in him after he lost his job at Trans-Corp. He was actually fired, and then all his friends broke contact wit him. He had been determined to complete his research on his own, and had sank all his resources into it until he was near losing his house.
Once he had the machine's scanner activated, he needed some items to transform. There wasn't anything around the lab. He walked upstairs for a quick scavenger hunt. He returned to the lab with a box of tacks and the jar of grubs.
The jar was nearly empty of grubs, which were quite expensive but necessary since the frog needed live food in order to thrive.
He ran the scanner over the jar's few remaining grubs. He then repeated the process on the nails in the box.
"Let's see if I can solve the frog's food problem," he said, flipping a switch.
The nails in the box disappeared, each of them becoming a pale, squirming grub. Delighted, Mark emptied the grubs in the box into the jar.
Now he wouldn't ever need to order new grubs. He could always create new ones out of even cheap garbage!