Frankenstein

CHAPTER 5: The Experiments

For the next two years, school was my whole world. My progress excited Professor Waldman. The best part of science was the many discoveries we made. By the end of my classes, I had actually improved many of the instruments we used in our daily work. I finished school knowing that my education was a success.

Now that school was done, I had a decision to make. I could go home and marry Elizabeth, or I could stay and continue my work in the lab. I still had questions about the human body and how it worked. What give a creature life? It was a hard question, but I needed to know the answer. All of the tools to make such a great discovery were here in my laboratory. Everything the school had to offer was at my fingertips. I decided not to go home just yet. Instead, I stayed in Indolstadt.

In order to discover the secrets of life, I needed to learn more about death. A gloomy thought indeed, but it made sense to me at the time. I started to study the human body and looked at what happens to the body after life has left it.

Things that might upset other people didn't seem to bother me at all. I wasn't scared of ghosts or working late in graveyards. I spent hour upon hour in tombs with the bodies, watching every stage of their changes. The differences between life and death struck me, and I noted every single one.

Time went by quickly. I barely noticed weeks and months slipping away. Then one day, I made teh most amazing discovery. After a lot of thought and hard work. I discovered I could give life to lifeless matter. Like a magic scene , these findings opened up a whole new world of possibility to me.

"I've done it!" I exclaimed, "It works!"

It took me a minute to catch my breath. I sat down on a chair beside my experiment and thought about what to do now. How should I use this discovery? Should I make a man like myself? Or should I make a smaller animal, something simple?

'No,' I thought. 'What does the world need? Not another animal. No, science would be served best if I created a man. What would people think?!'

My imagination flew. This first success made me think I could do anything I set my mind to. This man would need to be perfect. It took me many months to gather everything I needed. My final goal drove me along like a hurricane. Neither life nor death could stop me. A new species woild have me as its maker. I devoted all my time to my work. My cheeks grew pale from spending too much time inside, and my body grew thin because I wasn't eating enough. My mind raced day and night. I barely stopped to sleep. I spent long night working by moonlight and candlelight. I was full of energy.

My laboratory, which was on the second floor of my apartment, was seperated from all of the other apartments by a long, creeping staiway. It was for the best. The last thing that I wanted was for anyone else to find my work. I had the feeling that people wouldn't understand what I was doing and why.

Bottles of liquid bubbled everywhere. They would terrify a visitor. There were eyeballs, ears, and other body parts - many of which I had taken from the local hospital - lying everywhere. I used any parts I could get my hands on. The most important thing was building this man. Nothing else mattered.

Winter turned to spring, and then spring turned to summer. The winds became warm an d flowers bloomed. The changes in the weather were lost on me. I dis not see any of them, All I could see was my work. Nothing could tear me away, not even the thoughts of my friends and family. Not even the thought of my beautiful Elizabeth.

I knew my family was upset with me. I hadn't sent them a letter in months. Deep down, I knew they would forgive me. They knew I loved them. I told myself that all great discoveries came from great sacrifices. The letters from home piled up in my living room, unopened and unread.

Summer turned to fall. The world outside my laboratory window changed again. Seasons that I used to love and time that I used to cherish went by in a flash. A slow burning fever started to bother me most nights. My nerves were worn. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of success.

'Soon,' I thought one evening. 'Soon he will be alive.'