“C’mon,” he said as he swam towards his friend in the red trunks. “Let’s go talk to her. She’s hot.”
Lilia glanced at her daughter as the boys swam towards her. Steven made faces at the boys as he passed them on his way back to Lilia’s dock.
There weren’t many able to compete with her daughter’s beauty. She had a perfect figure, and like her mother, long black hair. Lilia caught the twinkle in Allie’s eye clear across the water separating them. The girl loved the attention.
The girls waded knee deep into the lake. The taller one glanced to where red trunks and blue trunks tread water, talking to Allie. She scowled.
“Damn him.” She bit her lip. “I’m so tired of him being such a jackass! If he doesn’t get his way, he pouts. Or he flirts with another girl.” Here, the girl sighed. “If I had anywhere else to go, I’d leave him.”
Lilia winked at Steven. He swam for the middle of the lake. She turned, studying the girls. Tall girl still scowled. The smaller one put hands on her hips and frowned.
“I’m getting fed up with Rod too,” she told her taller companion. “He’s always acting so tough: fast car, smoking, drinking every night. It’s an act to piss off his parents. I’m sick of being treated like shit. He wouldn’t even let me tell my mom where we were going. I swear if there’s an accident, no one’s going to know where to look.”
The girls continued grumbling, but Lilia had heard enough. She gazed towards the kids again and stood. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach.
“Where’s Steven?”
“What?” Allie stood on the dock and searched around her. “I don’t know. He was just here!” Allie shaded her eyes and scanned the lake. “It’s Steven. He’s probably seeing how long he can stay under to scare us.”
“No. I don’t think so.” Lilia scanned the lake’s surface. There was no sign of her son. Her heart pounded and her mouth went dry. Nervous tingles shot through her body, making her toes ache.
“Allie, something’s not right, he should have been up by now. I’m worried.” Lilia bit her lip to keep it from trembling. “I don’t see him anywhere.”
“Me neither.” Allie twisted her hands. From the distance, Lilia felt her daughter’s heightened anxiety. Allie’s eyes met hers, her daughter’s body language conveying her angst.
“He was right over there,” Lilia shouted, pointing towards the middle of the lake.
Pressure built in her chest and she swallowed a shallow gulp of air. She fought to keep focus.
“I’m a lifeguard,” red trunks yelled at her. “We’ll find him.” He looked at Allie. “Don’t worry.”
Blue trunks nodded and dove after his friend. Allie stood, anxiously peering into the water. The two girls rushed to stand by Lilia, sympathy etched on their faces.
Minutes later the boys surfaced.
“He’s not down here,” blue trunks said. He wrinkled his brow in confusion and scanned the surface of the lake around him.
“He’s got to be. He was just there,” Lilia cried. “I don’t understand. He’s such a good swimmer.” Lilia’s body prickled, her blood pressure rising. A familiar tingle started in her toes, raced up her legs, and settled at the base of her spine. She rocked from side to side, fidgeting nervously.
One of the girls put her arm around her and the other took her hand. Allie dove into the water and swam to the boys. “I’ll help you search.”
All three dove back under. Lilia waited a moment, then wrapped her arms around the girl’s waists and pulled them into the water.
As soon as Lilia hit the water, she let go of the girls and dove beneath. Circling around, she could hear them sputtering, spitting water from their mouths, and breathing rapidly. With frightened, quick movements they tried to tread water and look for her at the same time. Their fear fed her soul. She took the ankle of each girl and pulled.
Struggling, the girls lashed out with their other feet. Fingernails turned to sharpened claws and blood spurted as she tightened her grip.
As she swam deeper, the change took place. Her legs fused together to form a tail, its iridescent scales reflecting what little light penetrated the lake bottom. Her gills opened on the side of her neck, allowing her to breathe as she continued diving, deep into the inky darkness.
The short one tried prying Lilia’s fingers from her ankle. Lilia yanked her down so the girl came face to face with her. She grinned, revealing razor sharp teeth. An explosion of bubbles emerged from the girl’s mouth as she screamed in horror. Her struggles weakened as the air fled her lungs, until at last she was still. Lilia growled her triumph and shook the other body. The taller one had given in too easily, her body convulsing as she’d taken in water.
Lilia dove for the hole they called home, scattering fish from her path; her children awaited her in the greenish haze of the lake’s bottom. Steven flashed her a toothy smile and gave her the “thumbs up”. She swam to them, dragging her kill. They shoved the bodies in a hole carved in the lake’s basin, to be consumed later.
They broke surface simultaneously, eager to enjoy the rest of the day. Flopping up on the floating dock, they lay quietly while their gills closed, allowing them to breathe the sweet, fresh air through their lungs. They took short shallow sips of air at first, then deeper gulps as they adjusted to the change. Gradually, their tails dissolved again and their legs separated.
Allie gazed at the lake and tapped a finger on her cheek.
“Too easy.” She pulled herself into a sitting position. “I expected them to put up a better fight. I bared my teeth at the boy and he took in big lungs full of water with his screaming.”
“It means you got the easy one.” Steven laughed. “Blue trunks struggled. I was forced to do the death roll.”
“They were soft, not as rebellious as they’d have you believe.” Lilia shrugged. “That will mean the meat is tender. We have to take our food where we can find it, my precious one. This lake is not used much.”
“No fair,” Allie sighed. “Okay. But next time I want to be the bait. I had to change so quickly this time.”
Steven looked at his mother. “What were you saying when they drove up? You got cut off mid-sentence.”
“Oh.” Lilia smiled. “I was going to say that we are the monsters.”
Their laughter floated on the breeze, carrying across the lake.
THE DEATH VACCINATION
Tina Piney
THE obituary of David William would have read like that of any other brilliant research scientist. It would have cited his school and his accomplishments. It would have made reference to his life as a family man and listed those who would miss him most. There would have been no one remembering David William beyond the span of the couple of generations who knew him personally. David would have lived, been productive and happy, but, most importantly, died, just like everyone else had it not been for one chance encounter.
He would have been the valedictorian of his graduating class but the independent and even slightly rebellious streak he possessed had derailed that. Exceptional as he was, his mentors preferred a slightly less accomplished and less nonconformist classmate, Jean-Louis, for the role.
It was while attending his graduation that he came across the person that would unknowingly change his life forever: the valedictorian from the graduating class five years earlier.
Amongst the regular motivational nature of her speech, Taylor Ryan made several referrals to the scientific advances and the amount of capital being invested in her industry, the business of beauty. She concluded by stating that anyone interested in discovering more about these opportunities should contact a certain professor after the festivities.
Prior to Taylor’s speech, David had envisioned a much different future. He pictured himself, locked away in his own lab, researching and curing the deadliest diseases known to mankind. Her reference to the monetary advantages of her industry threw light on the fact that David lacked the funds to pursue his dreams right away. The cost of living and his s
tudent debt would eat away anything he earned in a typical entry level position. He decided he should talk to Taylor right away and approached the professor she had mentioned before the real graduation celebration got underway.
Not even a week had gone by when David found himself outside the impressive building that held the E.Y. Corp. labs. He had meticulously arranged a presentation for Taylor and worn his best suit jacket. After a brief stay in the lobby, the receptionist led him to Taylor.
A looker even from a distance, Taylor was tall and blonde, but her light blue eyes were such a distraction that he momentarily forgot himself. It worked to his advantage as she wanted to do all the talking.
Taylor had always kept in touch with her former professors and had, for two years, had a project that required someone special to see it through. She let it be known that she had followed his education and progress and was overjoyed to have him interested in the position. She then handed him a paper and asked him to read it over.
It was a contract outlining the terms of the position. First and foremost, the salary was addressed. David thought it was a very successful way to grab attention. The fact that it was easily four times what any of his classmates would be making ensured that his attention was indeed grabbed and held. That kind of money would realize his financial goals and allow him to pursue his dreams quickly.
The next section addressed the duration of the position. Once signed, the contract would bind David for a period of six years. It stated that this was vital and unbreakable. David reasoned that the pay would make it tolerable so nodded as he read and moved on to the last section.
The final, longest and most carefully worded section was regarding secrecy. He would not be able to tell anyone about the work he was doing, or even allude to its nature. Whenever possible he was not to even cite the name of the company. While it would not be denied that he was employed there, the more people that knew about it, the bigger security risk it would be. He would have only one liaison, and that would be Taylor herself. Any supplies would go through her so no one would be able to track which ingredient was going to which product, ensuring the protection of the pre-patent formulations.
Having no real world experience, the conditions of employment did surprise him. David could see the logic though. To protect that much investment you need commitment and secrecy. The final paragraph in the secrecy condition he found downright odd. Nothing at all would be revealed about the nature of the product and research until after it was signed, witnessed and processed. He would have to either agree or refuse to be a part of something that would be the focus of the next six years of his life based on almost nothing.
David reread the section and looked up at Taylor. She flashed a beautiful smile and winked. Money towards fulfilling his dream and working with Taylor every day, really, what more did he need to know? “Got a pen?” he asked, giving his best smile right back at her.
The following Monday, David reported to the E.Y. labs to find Taylor waiting for him. She helped him make his way through security for the first time, having his ID badge and personal codes ready for him. They made their way back to Taylor’s office where she led him to a door that he had assumed was a private washroom. It turned out to be a private elevator. She pressed the only button, marked with an L, and they began to descend. How many floors down they travelled he couldn’t say but when they reached the bottom the doors opened to reveal the largest and most spectacularly equipped lab he had ever seen.
Taylor smiled at the look of wonder on David’s face. “Before you ask, yes this is all yours and yes I quite literally meant you would have to go through me, even my office, to get to your lab.” She paused to let him take it all in. “Let’s go have a seat,” she continued, “And let’s get down to business.”
“There was a theory developed by the founder of E.Y. that was, until I took over, both a secret and lost. I actually discovered it handwritten on a piece of lined loose leaf, on the bottom of his personal filing cabinet. I have no idea when he wrote it but it was obvious it had been there for quite some time. When I read it I was surprised that he had never pursued it. I assume now, though, that, until recently, this sort of thing could have never been realized. Since I encountered it, I have been looking for someone with the ability to realize it. This is you David.”
David broke his silence. “Taylor, you have teased me with this long enough. Hand over the paper already. I’m dying here!”
Taylor stifled a giggle. “Why yes, David, you are dying. Here, read the paper while you can”. She gave him a smile that made his knees weak. He carefully took the paper and laid it in front of him.
The Theory of the Fountain of Youth: For time immeasurable human beings have been seeking a way to slow or stop the effects of time on their bodies. Some have pursued it for beauty, others for strength and vitality - for all these things whither with age. I propose that the fabled fountain of youth does indeed exist but the reason it has never been found is it has been sought in the wrong place.
My hypothesis is that the fountain of youth exists within the human body and hence every effort to discover it externally has failed. There is, in every person, the ability to keep their youth if we can develop a way to get the body to turn off the natural signals that turn the human body from growing and maturing to aging and dying.
Much like puberty, every body is programmed differently, from the time of onset to the duration but everyone does indeed experience it. And from the onset, the body is never the same. This rings true for the end of puberty, when it truly ends. When the body ceases all growth and a slow decline begins. Puberty is the fountain of youth and the cessation of puberty begins the onset of decline and death.
In order to keep youth, a pill or injection must be developed to delay the end of puberty and the beginning of decline. First it must be determined if it is puberty that stops and brings decline or if it is decline that ends puberty. Once this is determined then a sort of vaccine could be developed, a vaccine that could prevent the fountain of youth from running dry.
If puberty ending brings decline then this vaccine could be given to people in their early twenties, in the prime of their life. It could delay or perhaps even eliminate aging. If it is decline that ends puberty, then the vaccine could be given to any age of adult. While it could not reverse the damage of aging, it could halt it.
It was brilliant really, and David wished he could have met the man who wrote it. He looked up at Taylor. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was as captivated as she was by the theory. This was not just the meal ticket he needed, this was the project he wanted!
“Not only could this change the beauty industry, the potential impact on healthcare could be enormous,” David stated, failing at containing his excitement. “I completely understand the secrecy deal now. I’m just so glad I agreed!”
Forgetting her regular level of professionalism, Taylor was caught up in the moment and embraced him. She let go, grabbed him by his shoulders and looked him dead in the eye, “You and I will see this vision through, and we will be the change in the world!”
From the first day David had ideas about how to advance the theory and Taylor shared all she had developed in the years she had been sitting on it, waiting for the right partner in crime to come along. Due to her schedule, he didn’t see Taylor as much as he would have liked and despite her seeming absence of interest in his personal life (or lack thereof) he wished he would have met her outside of work and got to know her better. She was fascinating to him and such a supportive person. He looked to her for insight and encouragement whenever the research hit a snag. They were a perfect team.
It was around the year and a half mark when David had a breakthrough. Although he had been leaning towards it for a while, he now had conclusive proof and took the elevator up to see Taylor. The doors slid open to find her nearly concealed behind a large stack of papers. She peered over, eyebrows raised expectantly. David smiled and strutted over fanning himself with a file fold
er. Taylor laughed, “So?” she queried.
David was nearly bursting, so in a soliloquy that would have impressed even Shakespeare he launched into his findings. After all the research and experimenting he had concluded that it was decline that halted puberty and not the other way around. He was ecstatic because, if it had been puberty that halted itself, the vaccine would be hard to balance. It would be tricky to keep puberty going and not see abnormal growth. He laughed as he described eight feet tall women who never age.
No, this was exactly the conclusion he had hoped for.
Taylor stood up and not quite knowing what to do, she broke out into a little jig.
David laughed but then asked her to cease her celebrating for the moment. Fearing the worst, Taylor returned to her seat, never taking her eyes of him.
He fished a single paper from out of his file folder and handed it to her. It was a three item list. She read it, looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. Taking the gesture as a signal to continue, David said, “Those three items, my dear, are the key. Those are the three things that take place in the body, that bring on the beginning of Decline. If we can make a vaccine to prevent these three things from happening, we can prevent aging. We will keep the fountain of youth flowing in every body!”
For a long moment Taylor’s mouth hung agape as if hinged, then the hand holding the paper began to shake. Without warning she jumped up on her desk and reached for David’s hand. He joined her on the desk where they both did a merry jig together, scattering papers like jumbo confetti.
David barely socialized. He was mostly consumed by his research and did little outside work with anyone. Besides Taylor, he was at a nod-greeting acquaintance level with maybe a half dozen people who kept similar hours to him. Like him they were absorbed in their own work. He didn’t know their names and they likely didn’t know his either. He knew the names of the security personnel he dealt with every day and was friendly with them. He wasn’t sure exactly how easy it was to violate his iron clad secrecy agreement so they knew nothing about him.
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