It was August 17, 1952. The sky in Augusta Maine was grey with cloud cover, and the air thick with humidity. The day was slow, and so were the people. At the train station the train screeched to a halt. The doors opened and people shuffled on and off slowly. All except for one man who rushed on to the train and quickly sat down, though he was in no hurry to arrive at his destination, and wondering why he agreed to go there in the first place.

 He thought about the letter that he had received about two days ago, wishing it had never come to him in the first place, wishing that he had thrown it into the fire the minute it arrived. The letter was from an old co-worker of his, his partner in the lab he used to work in. He and his partner were both scientists and a good ones too; making things that seemed to defy the laws of science, at least the ones that people knew of then.

 He had quit, though, when his partner went too far, claiming that he would make a medicine powerful enough to cure death itself. Beyond the impossibility of this medicine the man believed that stopping death was unnatural and therefore wrong. He had gotten a job soon after that teaching people foreign languages, and hoped that all of the work he had put into learning those languages, and all of the hours spent studying under dim lights from sunrise to sunset would not be in vain, he hoped he would not be the subject of this medicine because he knew it would kill him and waste away all of the hard work he had put into his job (either that or it would have some bizarre effect that he knew his partner would not have created a cure for; back when he worked in the lab the man had always had to make the reverse treatment for whatever crazy concoction that his partner made).

 The man had not heard from his former partner for three years (he was quite happy about this) and was beginning to forget about his career as a scientist altogether. Of course then the letter arrived completely destroying his hope of ever forgetting about his work there.

 Perhaps it was his study of foreign language that had brought upon the consequence of receiving the letter. His partner spoke a different language, a rare one spoken by very few that the man had studied. He found the language to be fascinating, actually, and enjoyed teaching it most. However, the letter had ruined his opinion about the language entirely.

 The letter was rather short, but it’s message was enough to make the man restless for two days worrying about meeting up with his partner again. He knew that his partner was not mentally stable and he was very concerned about how this supposed medicine would affect either him or his partner.

 The letter when translated to english, read:

Partner I have not heard from you in a long time, but I write to tell you an urgent message. The medicine that I began work on three years ago is completed. I will test the medicine upon your arrival to the lab. I need you to play a very important role in the news about this medicine. I need you to write describing the medicine and its purpose. I need you to describe all of its effects in the most detailed way possible. I know that you have studied many languages and you will be able to spread the news about this medicine and the miracle that it is-
                               Charles

The train screeched to a slow halt. People moved on and off slowly shuffling. The man was still moving quickly his nerves getting the best of him. The wooden floorboards of the platform creaked with every step the man took.

 He was expecting to need a map, but discovered that the way to the lab was all too familiar to him. He took his time getting there still regretting the decision he had made to help his partner with this ridiculous obsession of his.

 He arrived finally at the place that he had worked for ten years, but had not seen for three years. Upon his first glance at the lab he wondered if he had taken a wrong turn, for the lab looked different than he’d last seen it. However, in the back of his mind he knew he had come to the right place.

 He opened the door with much uncertainty and regret peering into the lab. His partner ran up to the door to greet him. “ Greetings partner, I’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival. Let me show you to the testing lab and we shall begin immediately.” his partner said speaking in perfect english. This startled the man, he began to feel uneasy and wondered where his old partner learned english, but dared not ask. He noticed that the lab was very different, but he dared not ask about that either.

 The man followed his partner through an unfamiliar doorway into an unfamiliar room and halted at a table where his partner was standing. His partner picked up a beaker filled with a liquid green substance that almost appeared to be glowing. His partner spoke, in english again, saying,

“This substance will cure any sickness or disease in my body and increase my life expectancy when I take it. I need you to write down what you see me experience.”

The man although still concerned about his partner, felt relieved and grateful that he would not be the one experiencing the effects of the medicine and was only meant to write about that which he saw.

 His partner took the beaker into a clear glass room.

“ When I take the medicine you will need to quickly write about how you see me react, and what I do and say.”

his partner said.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a notebook and pencil slowly, wondering what he would have to write when his partner took the substance hoping it would be something positive.

 He watched with excitement, fear, regret, and hope as his estranged partner poured the substance into a glass, raised it slowly to his lips with excitement in his eyes, tipped the glass up, and drank the substance until it was gone….