Free The Vivisectionist by Ike Hamill Page A

opinion was shared by most; and the hill was packed with spectators. Once they had located a empty space on the dark hillside, they settled in to watch the show and slap at mosquitoes.
    Mid-way through the display, Stephen remarked: “Man, these fireworks are awesome.”
    Jack and Ben agreed.
     



The Boy
     
    The boy squeezed his eyes shut and tried to forget what he had just seen. He didn’t want to know how the edge of his severed muscle would shimmer in the light. It had almost a metallic look, like gasoline floating on the lake in the sun. His skin had been seared, and smoothed at the edges. His internal organs looked wet and shiny.
    He took a deep breath and held it. Then, he moved his stomach in just a bit, to see how painful it would be. It didn't feel numb, but there was no pain at all. He felt okay—imprisoned by a crazy man, but otherwise okay.
    How had this happened?  
    Keeping his eyes shut he took further inventory—he couldn’t hear anything, and he only smelled a subtle musty smell.
    The boy remembered waking up, seeing the new incision, and then closing his eyes again. Was the man here now?
    He flexed his leg muscles and decided his left leg felt weird. Something about the angle when he flexed his calf. The boy opened his left eye half way. He tried not to look at his stomach and forced his gaze down to his toes.
    He closed his eye immediately, but couldn’t forget the image. His foot had been semi-transparent. The bottom was fine—ankle, heel everything looked normal. About half-way up his foot it turned bad: nothing left but bone.
    When did that happen? Shouldn't it hurt?
    “It’s the acid,” the man said.
    The boy’s eyes flew open. He now saw the man, clear as day, standing near his devastated foot. The man looked odd. He was a normal crazy guy wearing a white lab coat until you got to his neck. From the neck up, the “dissecting man” had a bull’s head.
    The boy’s mind reeled. Bull Man examined the boy's half-foot, and the boy remembered something about acid.
    He wondered:  had Bull Man burned away his flesh with acid?
    “Lysergic acid diethylamide,” said the man. “It’s a hallucinogen.”
    The boy wondered if Bull Man could hear his thoughts.
     



Rescue, July 5
     
    Emboldened by their exploits at the fair, the boys grew hungry for adventure. They kept each other awake until late, talking of Stephen’s larceny and Jack’s rescue. Ben interjected occasionally, but allowed Jack and Stephen to dominate the discussion. When they woke, they got excited about what this new day could bring.
    “What do you think we should do today?” asked Jack.
    Stephen replied first, “What about that pond we saw on the map?”
    “Or we could try to get across that river and see how far we can get that way,” suggested Ben.
    “I think we should do something bigger—like build something cool,” said Jack.
    “Like what?” Stephen asked.
    “I don’t know, maybe like a big tree fort or something?” said Jack.
    Ben dampened the idea—“You need tons of lumber and junk for that. It would be easier to find some other kid’s tree fort and take it over.”
    “That’s true—my Dad’s always talking about how much lumber costs,” said Jack. “I can’t think of any other kids who have a good fort. Well there’s one a couple of streets over, but it’s right next to the house and it’s pink.”
    “That would be awesome,” laughed Stephen. “They look out their window and we’re right there in their girly tree-house. We’d be all playing house and making tea and stuff.”
    “Hey, why don’t we just break into that guy’s house?” said Ben. “You know, the one who the cops hauled away.”
    Jack paused before commenting—“No, that’s crazy, that’s a crime scene. You can’t just break in there.”
    “Yeah, besides, they would have already taken all the good stuff out of there,” said Stephen. “All the torture stuff and everything is probably down at headquarters