As Abe exited the main school gate after a long, exhausting day, the last thing he expected to see was an old, strange man wearing a musty lab coat standing in the middle of the trash inside the waste depot nearby.
Abe hesitated for a moment; his curiosity piqued. He had never seen this man before. As he approached him, the man seemed not bothered by his presence while his attention focused on something inside the crowded area.
“Excuse me, Sir. Do you need something?” asked Abe cautiously.
The man did not respond, his gaze still fixed on an enormous dumpster. Abe tried again, a little louder this time. “Excuse me, Sir?”
The strange man finally looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. He blinked several times as if he had forgotten where he was.
“Oh, hello there, young boy,” he replied, his quiet voice filled with an unexpected warmth. “What can I do for you?”
“I am asking if you need help,” answered Abe with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
The man continued to check through a huge open dumpster, his thin fingers sifting through the high hill of discarded items. “Yes, my boy,” he replied with a long whisper. “I am searching for a machine of great importance. A machine that could change the world.”
Abe could not help but chuckle at the old man’s excitement, “I think you have been spending too much time in this waste depot, sir,” he said, trying to look serious. “There is nothing in here but trash.”
Then, suddenly, the strange man pulled out a weird metal box from the depths of the dumpster. “AHH! This is it,” he exclaimed, his eyes glinting with excitement. “My machine, my baby!! OH, I thought I had lost it. I have been working on it for years, and now, here it is, it is finally complete.”
The thirteen-year-old boy stared at the box in disbelief. “What is this?” he asked curiously. “What is that supposed to do?”
“It is a machine that can move two objects simultaneously regardless of the distance,” the scientist explained. “Imagine being able to exchange your location with someone on the other side of the world, instantly, or teleporting objects from one place to another.”
Abe stared at the old man, unsure if he was serious or not, “Oh, I know a lot about this,” he replied with indifference whilst giggling. “I have read numerous silly story books about this. You seem to like science fiction, sir.”
“No, I do not!” The old man answered, gazing at Abe with a stern, cold stare. “Now, excuse me, I must return to my experiment.”
Then he added, cleaning the old box carefully with his fingers, “Do you want to come with me, my boy?”
He continued talking as he gripped the young boy’s arm tightly and dragged him closer, “Come with me, my boy,” he insisted. “You will never regret it, I promise you. I will show you something you have never seen before!”
Before Abe could refuse, the old scientist clutched a metal barrier and pushed it down to open a hidden gate behind one of the enormous dumpsters. He stepped down the dark stairs, his hand still clenching the boy’s arm. Instantly, they reached a shoddy, musty, spacious room underground. “Here we are, my boy!” he yelled. “Welcome to my great experiment lab!”
Abe gazed around in confusion. To his astonishment, he noticed countless broken parts of plastic bottles, papers, boxes, putrid food cans… All these things came from the dustbin that was next to his school. He also peeped some home waste he had thrown yesterday in the dustbin.
The old scientist grabbed a rotten apple from a dusty shelf, threw it in his mouth, and started chewing it, with disgust.
“Ye come with me, I’ll show you my secret Tresor,” he murmured. “Follow me, my son. COME ON!!” He added in excitement, dashing through a dark, long corridor.
Through the gloomy corridor, they reached an old, heavy wooden door. The strange man pulled a big black key from his pocket, and with a loud bam, the door opened to reveal a large, packed lab full of trapped insects. The air was filled with reeking dampness mixed with a strange smell of blood.
“This is my baby spider!” the scientist yelled excitedly, pointing at an immense tarantula climbing its way toward the lid.
“TARANTULA!” gulped Abe, staring with fear at the dangerous, furry spider. “Why on earth do you have a tarantula?!”
“You have not seen anything yet, my boy,” chuckled the scientist. “Let’s see the great machine I made.”
The old boy started to feel unexpectedly choked, “Sir, I have to go now real quick. My mum must get worried waiting for me at home,” he gasped, his hard short breaths shaking with fear.
“Your mum?” said the scientist with a cunning smile whilst looking at his watch. ”I think your mum has not arrived yet, Abe. She must be on her way back home now. Usually, her bus stops at 4:58 at Windsor Road, and then in less than one minute, she gets out. At 5:05 she goes to the grocery and buys the chocolate-flavored milk and some sweets for your five-year-old sister, Katie. Then, at 5:15, she reaches home and starts cooking dinner. At nearly 5:25, you arrive home, leave your school shoes next to the door, and dash directly to the kitchen to hug your mum and sister. Eh? Did I forget anything else?”
Abe’s heart sank as the words washed over him.
How could the scientist know his name? His little sister’s name? How could he predict the routine of his mum so precisely? What did he plan with them?
“You are creeping me out, sir!” yelled Abe, stepping back in terror. “How did you know about all this? Who are you?”
