Experiment 3798

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Of course, not a literal valley. The ever so popular city of Circa Valley. ‘Once upon a time’, there was a boy as happy as can be. People called him [NAME CLASSIFIED] and he had one goal set for his tiny 6 year old brain, to find a dragon. I know it’s not much of a story yet, so, I’ll try to be more professional. Sorry, I will try. I guess I should start over then.

One great morning, in the year 3792, the sun cast its bright orange hue across the gray tinted clouds in the early sky. Happy? [NAME CLASSIFIED] rose from his creaking bed and immediately ran downstairs as soon as he smelled his mom’s signature bacon and waffles. Although it was an old fashioned breakfast, it was still [NAME CLASSIFIED]’s favorite thing to eat before his education period. As he practically slid across the floor, [NAME CLASSIFIED] quickly grabbed his mothers attention by saying “Good morning mom!” Louder than either of them expected. With a slight jump, his mother turned around to meet his eyes that were filled with excitement, then looked down at his wide grin as he playfully bounced while waiting for his breakfast. She calmly responded with a soft, “Good morning sweetie.” And a small gentle smile. “I made your favorite.” She added as she placed a small plate in front of his fingers that were tightly gripped onto the edge of the counter.

“Don’t eat too fast, you could get a stomachache. You know how the transportation watch makes you ill, especially with a full stomach.” “But, if I eat too slow then I’ll get a cramp during Physical Period.” [NAME CLASSIFIED] complained as he stuffed his mouth with a slightly charred slice of bacon. His mother let out a sigh then turned back around towards the stove as she scooped up another waffle with her spatula. She placed it on another small plate then set it down in front of [NAME CLASSIFIED]. “Your father will be heading down soon to join you for breakfast.” She said while glancing up at the stairs near the front door.

There’s a moment of silence in the kitchen until a tall, heavy footed man unintentionally stomps down the stairs while fixing his maroon colored neck tie. He walks over to the kitchen counter while [NAME CLASSIFIED] finishes his last waffle, still fixing his neck tie. “Speaking of which.” His mother said slightly under her breath, followed with a “Good morning honey.” “Good morning.” He replied, still looking down at his tie. He finally looked up, only to grab the plate that was sitting on the counter for him. [NAME CLASSIFIED]’s mother quickly noticed that her husband had not sat down in front of their son and became slightly annoyed. “I thought you were eating at home today.” she said as she placed her hand on her hip. “They called me in early again today. I have to be there before the clock hits 9:00 or else they’ll pay me 50 hours less.” he said while struggling to slip his shoes on with one free hand. “I’ll be back by 7:00 tonight though.” he added. She sighed. “Ok, but promise me you’ll help [NAME CLASSIFIED] with his transportation watch tomorrow.” She walked over to the front door where he had just finished putting his shoes on and kissed him on his left cheek. “Promise.” he said and pressed a button on the side of his watch. Suddenly, a blue rift that resembled the tides of the ocean formed around his body and the waves swept him away. He had vanished.

Then [NAME CLASSIFIED] teleported to school, it looked cool, whatever. Anyway, [NAME CLASSIFIED] also got made fun of a lot at school. Some kids told him he was crazy because dragons were extinct, some said it would be impossible. Others said he was crazy because they don’t exist. But, [NAME CLASSIFIED] didn’t care. He was determined to find a dragon and prove everyone who doubted him wrong. So, once he finished college, he set out on an expedition and told his parents that he wouldn’t return without one… or at least proof of one.

He searched all over the world (just the rest of the valley actually…). In caves, forests, mountains (hills), rivers (just small creeks), abandoned towns (it wasn’t actually abandoned), but there wasn’t a single trace of any dragons that could have survived the extinction. [NAME CLASSIFIED] gave up his expedition but was too ashamed to return home empty handed. So, he settled down and bought a house right outside of the city he grew up in. You would think that it ends here, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be right.

For 6 years after his expedition, [NAME CLASSIFIED] decided to put his brain to use and study science. He unknowingly became a genius and turned his house into a personal lab to conduct science excitements. However, he kept his obsession a secret and still was insistent to find a dragon, somehow. Clearly, he’s a very stubborn man…

One day, when [NAME CLASSIFIED] returned home, he collapsed into his office chair at his desk to sit and think of a plan. “There has to be something I’m missing…” he said to himself. He thought of all the places he could’ve missed or sights he might not have seen. He glanced over at his table beside him that was scattered with vials and papers of calculations used in previous projects of his. Then suddenly, a great idea came to mind. His face lit up and he quickly stood out of his chair. “Of course!” He said, “Why didn’t I think of this before?” [NAME CLASSIFIED] immediately began working on his next project, the best one he had yet, which was given the name Experiment 3798.

In a room of test tubes and determination was someone filled with desperation. Pulsing vials caused bubbles and explosions. Successful calculations were the key to reviving a childhood dream and a dimming hope this would work. Every time he felt doubt, he would reminisce the memories of his younger self - a happy boy in the warm sun. The flowers glimmered, frosted in the morning dew and illuminating the town like lights on Christmas Eve. He remembered the place where he grew up, built of marble houses and technological advances. One of those many houses lived a woman, hair gleaming in the natural light. She had started talking, eyes bright and voice high, and the boy ran towards her, engulfing her in as big of a hug his small arms could give. She went by the title: Mom. Along with a vague memory of a man, busy but caring for his son, who went by the title: Dad. [NAME CLASSIFIED] often struggled to snap back to reality. The pleasant thoughts of returning to see his parents after such a long time and proving all the people who thought the worst of him wrong were easy thoughts to get lost in. However, he has to remind himself that, for now, he was hidden behind the community in a small cottage.

[NAME CLASSIFIED] gently poured a long skinny tube of a bubbling purple liquid into a large and wide vial that was previously mixed with other multiple chemicals. With a slight explosion, followed by a ‘poof’, [NAME CLASSIFIED]’s vision became purple as his goggles were splashed with the concoction he had just created. When he wiped his goggles off with his lab coat, he had noticed that the wide vial was different from all the others. This one was filled with bubbles that were rapidly moving to the top. This one was not pulsing but, instead, has a consistent glow. [NAME CLASSIFIED] stopped in his tracks and stared at the mesmerizing liquid.

“Could this be it?” He said out loud. He quickly grabbed a dropper and a raw egg from his kitchen. [NAME CLASSIFIED] placed the dropper on his table and the egg on one of his vial stands that just so happen to fit just right. He placed his goggles back around his eyes, grabbed the dropper, and carefully grabbed enough of the liquid inside of the dropper to have at least five drops. He slowly shifted his way to the raw egg that was retrieved from his refrigerator and squeezed a single drop onto the egg. The liquid dissolved its way into the yolk. Instead of the quiet ‘poof’ the vial made, there was a loud ‘boom!’. [NAME CLASSIFIED] coughed into his right hand and waved his left hand through the air, trying to remove the smoke that the loud ‘boom!’ had created.

Once the smoke was removed from his lungs and his sight, [NAME CLASSIFIED] removed his goggles and looked closely at the egg to see if his experiment was a success. He noticed that the egg had grown quite a bit. It was also covered in green spots, which weren’t there before. He leaned in closer to the egg when he slightly jumped. He saw the egg begin to crack.

At that moment, history was about to change.