Lassoing the Cresent Moon

7. Experiment 814

My steps were the only sound going through the corridor. The silence put me on edge- if there was a hungry toy nearby they'd have no problem hearing me.

I was heading to Dr.Ludwig's office. I had heard that name before- the founder of Playtime Co. It was his idea to have an orphanage in a toy factory. I had never actually seen him but I always thought him as a cheerful loving man with a heart for family.

He had lost his family. His wife had divorced him, his daughter died at a very young age, and that's what motivated him to start the orphanage. He always advocated for family, and always believed there was a way to make more of them. We were taught to admire the man, though we'd never see him. He used his own tragedy to rise up and create better lives for all of us.

I had a bad feeling that that noble image I had of him would be shattered soon. I grunted as I moved some wooden planks out of the way. Just as Poppy had said, there was a hidden key.

I twirled it in my hand as I headed over to his office. The door creaked as I opened it, some dust falling forward. I walked forward slowly.

The office seemed pretty normal to me. There was an expensive looking chair set next to a large chestnut desk. On top of the desk was a really big old computer that was in desperate need of dusting, Along with yet another hooked up VHS player. There was a bookshelf, some cabinets, and a lot of drawings on the walls.

I decided to observe the art first. All the different pieces were messy children's drawing. Some were made with marker, some crayon, some colored pencil- but they all had the same message.

They had smiles. There were multiple pictures of kids with their toys and Ludwig. All of them seemed to be some sort of admiration which helped support My earlier theory. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all...

I saw some papers scattered around his desk as well as yet another VHS tape. They were mostly bills, and some papers were torn apart written in messy handwriting as opposed to typing. I decided to pull at one of the receipts.

I brought receipts closer to my face as I tried to pronounce the long names of some of the things listed. Saline, Alcohol, and Antibiotics were one thing, but the amount of chemicals and names I had no idea of were longer. I furrowed my brows and came closer, as I did my feet bumped into something that crinkled against the floor.

I looked under the desk to find an overstuffed garbage can with shredded and crumpled papers. One specifically had big red lettering that caught my eye. I pulled it out of the trash can and uncrumpled it, shaking off any dust. How long had these been down here?

"Experiment 814" was written in large marker.

My eyes widened. There it was, written right in front of me. I scanned it slowly as my eyes read through the bright lettering.

"Notes"
-the experiment utilized a live rat.
-The rat was fed three portions daily for two weeks.
-At the end of two weeks the rat was killed and submerged in poppy flower and preservative gel mixture.
-one week later an electric shock was applied to the rat (still in the gel) in an attempt to revive it.
-The rat remained unresponsive.

Analysis: I still believe in the potential of the poppy flower. Its unusual properties lead me to believe that the proper mixture and procedure could have life altering properties. The poppy flower has for a long time carried heavy symbolism, and I don't believe that's for no reason. Perhaps something larger than a rat would yield different results.

...

I had to read it again.

Poppies had lots of symbolism, sure. It sometimes was associated with peace but honestly?