Since Ponce De Leon, many have sought the elusive "Fountain
of Youth." And all have failed; later to be ridiculed as
foolish dreamers, believing in childish fable. But with modern
science, and a long list of achievements, mankind has begun a
change of attitude, to one convinced that anything is possible.
If the desire is great enough, with sustained will and God given
time, dreams of relentless souls will eventually become realities.
Dwelling on this subject and the fact that I had a rare blood
disease whose prognosis at best gave me two years to live, I took
up an alliance with Dr. Von Yonph. I was first attracted to the
prominent physician by an article in the March Science News explaining
his experiments with a de-aging factor, DNA Modifier, so he called
it.
When first we met, he was vague as to the details surrounding
the production of his Elixir. I could understand this, seeing
how there was so much scientific thievery, and here was a lifetime
of work to be protected. Therefore, it took many lengthy meetings
over the course of several months, and a mutual hobby, philately,
before the Doctor felt certain of my sincerity, whereupon he proceeded
to explain in detail his entire process.
When he spoke in length, as if a dam burst within him a river
of enthusiasm gushed forth, which made me immediately aware of
several rather peculiar physical defects: When approaching a pertinent
point in his discourse, his right ear would wiggle wildly. Quite
larger than the left, this made it all the more obvious. And as
the right ear wiggled, the left eye rolled and bounced in its
socket. Though amused by what seemed harmless, physical quirks,
at the same time I was sympathetic toward his swollen, arthritic
fingers...wheezing breaths and pale complexion. In short, he was
a man well on in years, and little time left to perfect his treatment.
Nevertheless, that was all the better reason for my confidence
in him. Surely, if anyone was to seriously seek a way back to
youth, it would be an aging seeker such as he, tormented by frailties.
On that same day, as the afternoon moved unnoticed toward evening...and
then late night...I found myself on a guided tour of his Laboratory,
a privilege that had thus far been denied me.
"See this Dalmatian?" he proudly questioned, paused
in front of the domestic creature's cage. "Sixteen years
old...the equivalent to 112 year old man."
It was incredible, the animal behaved as one of its species when
in its prime.
Interested in my reaction, he curiously searched my eyes.
"And this," he went on as we paused briefly before the
next exhibit, a solitary egg, is the perennial "Thorn in
my side!" After which he grew pensively silent.
Refusing to elaborate further on the troublesome subject, he excitedly
brought my attention to a youthful chimpanzee, who was busy executing
pull-ups with vigorous tenacity, upon a bar placed in his cage
for just that energetic purpose. Again he boasted, "Equal
in chronological age to a very old human--had several, terminal
illnesses associated with primates of advanced years!" He
boasted with an air of omnipotence.
Well, after the several moments it took me to digest all that
I had taken in...I was impressed, to say the least. And hopeful
that the Grim Reaper might yet have to postpone our meeting. What's
more, if the Doctor wasn't a fraud or a madman, which my instincts
assured me neither was the case, Death might have to wait for
this thirty-year-old indefinitely.
Over a glass of brandy, and I must confess I needed several, the
Doctor informed me that he has given considerable thought to using
a human instead of an animal for furthering his experiment; but
at present, there were too many unanswered questions. "What
if something was to go wrong?" he stated sullenly. Not that
he feared death, but if he was to die, while so close to discovering
what men have sought since time immemorial, the thought left him
with great reservation.
At this time, I offered myself, seeing how I had a short time
to live as it was.
But he resisted, due to my youthful appearance. Again I reminded
him of my illness. And yet he would not accept. But after several
more brandies, once again I had been led through the laboratory
and over to the caged chicken egg.
By now the egg had shrunk to a tiny, jelly-like dot that was barely
visible.
The process is unpredictable. You could be rejuvenated into oblivion...or
you may prefer to say, that "dark mystery which all creation
springs from."
After agreeing I would take the chance, the next morning we began
the long process of preparation. Cells from my body were cultured
in a special solution. It is far beyond my expertise to explain
the details, but let it suffice to say, it was a long and complicated
procedure, that the Doctor exclusively attended to himself. Days
passed quickly into weeks…and weeks soon became months. My
time was rapidly slipping away.
"Now?" I began to ask, at regular intervals…at
first with urgency in my voice…and then, pleading!
"Not yet!" was the reply. "Not yet...we must be
absolutely certain to have left nothing unchecked. Should something
go wrong...I must know in my mind, all that is humanly possible
had been done to protect you" And his voice trailed off to
a mumble, as he sank back into a system of checking and double
checking what I was convinced he had already checked a hundred
times before. Had he changed his mind...and didn't know how to
tell me?
And as the days passed, I grew certain Dr. Von Yomph, was convinced
that a human experiment was premature. The fact that a genuine
fondness had developed between us was not helping matters.
Nevertheless, I tried to be patient…and would have continued
to be so had I not been awakened last night, from a sound sleep,
by agonizing spasms in my legs. To my horror, when I tried rise
from bed, thinking I could relieve the attack by standing and
stretching, I discover I was paralyzed from the waist down. After
lying helpless for several hours, fortunately the conditioned
passed, but I was warned to expect such things as the end grew
dangerously near.
With that grave thought in mind, before leaving the laboratory
the following evening, I snitched a bottle of the elixir with
intentions of proceeding on my own.
It is June 15th--1979. The time is 12:30 am; and I am about to
orally take one fifth bottle of the elixir, then settle back in
an easy chair to wait. The Doctor is resting...and has no knowledge
as to what I am doing. His laboratory and his own bedroom nearby,
are in a distant part of the large house, far from eye and ear.
Time 12:40 am. The elixir was bitter but tolerable. Tolerable…not
brandy...but tolerable!
Time 4AM. In the laboratory subjects, within one hour after ingesting
the serum, there was some sort of noticeable physical change.
But, with my eyes transfixed on the mirror, I have yet to see
a difference.
Time 4:30am. Perhaps the Doctor was right to wait?
Time 5am. I feel a slight tingling sensation throughout my body.
Electric! Alive! Youthful! And if mirrors don't lie, the couple
of strands of gray hair at my temples have turned, once again,
a youthful brown.
Time 5:10 am. In the past ten minutes I've miraculously gotten
10 years younger. The urge to shoot hoops and dash for touchdowns
consumes my mind. Oh! And Mandy, the girl-next-door! If she were
hear now I would tell her what I always had feared to say before.
How I loved in silence...till too late to do anything about it!
Time 5:30am. I just completed 70 pushups. Haven't been able to
do that since I was seventeen.