Free Aesop's Secret by Claudia White

traveling back and forth to the hospital.”
    Elaine nodded. “He’s used to that. There have been times when he’s been gone for days because of his work at the hospital.”
    That’s what I was counting on, Stumpworthy thought, unable to suppress the smile that curled his lips.

    Jake walked down the steps to the lower ground floor of the mansion to meet Professor Stumpworthy; they would travel to the hospital together. The stairs curved slightly, ending at a magnificent circular room. In the centre of the room was an elegant blue-tiled swimming pool with a mosaic of a mermaid on the bottom. A mural depicting an Italian country landscape was painted on the wall that curved along the near side of the pool. Huge marble columns supported the ceiling. The room was like a Mediterranean resort, with brightly coloured flowers and tropical palms growing in enormous urns all around. It was hard to believe that this paradise existed below ground level.
    Jake put his medical case down and glanced at his watch; they had planned to leave at least fifteen minutes earlier. He looked up, clearing his throat to attract attention. Then a door hidden in the mural-painted wall opened.
    “Ah, Jake,” the professor greeted. “Please come and take a look my own little laboratory for a moment. I would have set you up to work here, but I don’t have the same diagnostic equipment that the hospital does.”
    Jake followed Stumpworthy into a good-sized room with some of the most advanced scientific equipment that Jake had ever seen. “Horace, this is fantastic. I would imagine that you have everything that I need.”
    Horace smiled. “Then you think you’d like to stay?”
    Jake nodded, pushing up his sleeves as if he were ready to get right to work. “Yes, I would. This will save a lot of time. If I do run into a problem, we can still contact the hospital.”
    “As you wish.” Stumpworthy bowed his head.
    Jake opened his medical bag and began removing blood samples, Petri dishes and the microscope slides he had prepared. Suddenly he rocked forward, grabbing onto a counter to steady himself.
    Horace clicked the door shut and smiled. “Are you feeling all right?” he asked with a strange, almost giddy quality to his voice.
    Jake shook his head as if to rattle himself back into feeling better. “Just a bit dizzy. I’ll be fine in a second.”
    Stumpworthy nodded. “I’m sure you will.”
    Jake fell forward again, now so dizzy that he could barely stand. His skin began to bubble and fur instantly covered his hands and face; his breathing came in short, desperate gasps. He held onto the counter tightly until violent convulsions sent him sprawling across the floor. His clothes tore as his body expanded, then fell away from him as he began shrinking into a mass of writhing animal parts. It was like a war of creatures fighting for dominance as hooves and paws, feathers and fins all fought for control. His body continued to writhe, getting smaller and smaller until only one animal was visible.
    Professor Stumpworthy laughed, bending down to lift up Jake’s prone grey mouse body by the tail. “Tsk tsk! Who would have thought that you, such a well-respected doctor, would become such an insignificant little vermin in order to survive the virus,” he laughed. “Actually I had a hunch that you might, since mice have one of the strongest immune systems to fight this particular strain.” He waved Jake’s stunned body slowly back and forth like a pendulum. “I’ve also improved the delivery method. It’s no longer necessary to inject the virus directly into a person—it can be released into the air. Since I’m immune, it’s perfectly safe.” He checked Jake’s vital signs, then dropped him into a waiting cage. “I promised Elaine that you would have a bed, and here you are―fresh paper shavings. I trust that you will be comfortable. And when you wake up we can do some other experiments that I think you will find very