The Meatball Machine | By Wormified

Entry 1

The candy shop opened next door, the one I own, is getting some shipping tomorrow from a nearby candy supply factory. I didn't think much of it because the reviews weren't bot like and all had five stars, and some were from my buddies around town who own candy shops too. However, I noticed something off in the background of the listing pictures, but I forgot my glasses that day so I didn't bother risking my non-aching head to see listing pictures of a product I wasn't sure I was going to buy. I found a gumball machine intact on their website from an old candy store in the 1800's, and I felt that the store needed a taste of antique. So, I decided to order it with a heavy heart knowing this was 2,300 dollars. My wallet might be crying of pain, but I'm crying of joy. I cannot wait to show the little kids about history of candy shops and special candy machinery!

The place I opened up my candy shop was quite an odd area, to be specific. It was opened next to a run down laboratory called "Trooper's Exploration Laboratory: since 1920." Which made me curious. Was it abandoned and souls and spirits of testing animals and humans haunting the place or was it still in business? I heard many rumors about this place and the entires they made in their testing books, which got stolen when the place went abandoned and revived this year. They discovered some animal testing books about their monkeys, and the descriptions of their flesh and bone when cut open on a surgical table. They took theirs brains and used their skin to feed to their other monkeys, such as their own siblings or friends. It was disgusting, to say the least. But most laboratories do that nowadays.

There was also rumors of a drug trade alleyway behind both of our buildings. Some guy named David comes around with pouches of fentanyl, cocaine, and even more unidentified drugs in small plastic baggies. Kids sometimes venture down there only for police to take them and David hiding inside the lab as the police scouted the area. Many adults come down there all of the time too, mostly because they're homeless. There's a section of the street nearby my neighborhood where homeless people get high or drunk and try to sell things to people for huge amount of money. I once drove past a homeless guy who was offering me an extremely run down couch for 50,000 dollars saying it was "an antique", but that much for a couch was about how much it costed to buy a house. And his hustle somehow worked when a little kid got hold of their parent's credit card. Let's just say there was some.. screaming.. and ass whooping that afternoon.

I also got ahold of their animal testing books, and looked inside to find diagrams of each animal they tested. Some were parrots, monkeys, dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs, and many more unidentified animals. Each of the diagrams pointed to a body part (organ or not) and said what they were used for in the testing field. Like a cat's lower kidney would be used for chemicals placed in body renewing products. I almost gagged reading them and returned them to the outside of the laboratory, only for them to be snatched up as soon as I turned my back by a large arm and a huge, creaking military grade door at the front. I saw a glimpse of the front of the building and the door that lead to the testing cages and rooms, and they looked so run down and moldy. I didn't want to ever open up a building next to shady places again. I've learned my lesson enough.

When I came home today, my wife greeted me with some food and a smile, even though I told her I will cook tonight. She does too much for the family and I can't help but feel bad for her, and want to treat her well and do the things she's pushing herself to do. I smiled and took the food gratefully even with a hint of annoyance. It was some well done steak, my favorite, with a side of mashed potatoes and garlic cloves. On the other side was a small, chopped piece of turkey that fit perfectly and didn't mix with all the other food. It had a couple of rosemary pieces on it to add flavoring, which must have been freshly picked from our garden behind our house. I ate it before walking to bed with her, snuggling close in the bed. This was the life I will live. I chose it, and I'm happy.

Goodnight, REDACTED.