Hey guys, this is a short story I had to write for my english class. I hope you like it.
The Scientist’s Mistake
By: Jeff Straw
4/26/05
Mrs. Robbins
Once upon a time, there was a crazy, old man who liked to make experiments in his basement. Now this old man wasn’t like any other person. He had a secret, a secret that could make change the world if this information was released into the public.
So night and day, this old man would work nonstop. Only for a few minutes to go upstairs to get something to eat and drink or to go to the bathroom is when he would stop. Besides for those very reasons, he remained secluded in his deep, dark basement.
One day, that all changed. For you see, it wasn’t a normal day. It was Christmas, and the old man decided he would spend the day with his wife, kids, and grandchildren. Though, while there was joy and merriment in the air, they all heard a loud knocking at the door. The old man got up, went to the door and opened it. There stood a tall, young man in a heavy over coat.
The moment the old man opened the door, he knew it was trouble. This man wanted something, something he didn’t have. The man said in his strong voice, “Time to pay up.” The man shook his head no, and shut the door, well at least tried. The young man told him that he had 5 more days to pay up, or he would lose something dear.
The man went on enjoying is afternoon and evening with his family. The next day, he went right to work. Working harder than he has ever before. He was almost done with his project, and he had five more days to do it. Beads of sweat poured down his forehead, splashing on the floor.
The next morning, he only had one more thing to complete before he would be finished, but the old man came down with a virus and became very ill. Two days passed, and he was yet able to finish his experiment. He lied there, thinking about how close he was to changing the world. Just thinking about all the years he had wasted working on it, when he could have spent his time with his family and lived an enjoyable life.
Night came and went as the old man, lie on his bed. It was the last day he had to finish his experiment. He dozed off, and while he was asleep, he had a vision. He remembered something from a long time ago, an article he read in a book. He stood straight up and went right back to working. Within minutes, his project was complete.
The next day, the same tall, young man came knocking on the door. He wanted his money, but the old man said he still didn’t have it. Then the young man pushed him aside and stormed into the basement to be surprised at what he saw. There was a table with a white cloth hung over something, but before he could take one step towards the table. The old man pulled him back and shut the door.
The young man looked intrigued, he said if the old man would show him what was under the white cloth and liked it, he would wave all of the man’s debts. The old man thought, but was still as suborned as before. He said no, that he had worked on it his whole life and that he could get much more out of it than the payment of this debts. The young man nodded and walked out of the door.
Then the old man fell onto his knees holding his chest. Yelling in pain while his wife called the hospital. When the ambulance got there, it was too late. The old man had died of a lung cancer. It had eaten a hole in his right lung. The next week at his funeral, the same young man came up to the old man’s wife. He was offering to buy that item in her basement, to clear her payments.
The women nodded and took him to her house, and lead him into the basement. She took off the white cloth, and then the man stared at it in amazement. He looked at it for five minutes straight, looking at every specification and detail. Then he said he would have someone come and get it in the morning.
When he left, the woman stood there, just thinking about what it did and what was so important about it. As she turned around, she saw a piece of paper that was slide under the stair case. She grabbed it and read it thoroughly, pacing her reading as not to miss anything. When she was finished, she understood what the invention did. She rushed over to it and read the instructions attached to the note that the man had left behind.
It said there was a red switch on the left side that would activate it. She followed the instructions the machine came to life. The tubes of water started flowing, the wheels started spinning, and the lights started blinking. Then all of the sudden, there was a flash, and then came a bottle, rolling out of the opposite side. She looked at it, and it was labeled as a cure for cancer.
The old man had a cure right at his finger tips, but too stubborn to use it. He thought it was too late, then the woman called the young man and told him that the deal was off. Then the woman took the invention straight to the patient office and got a patient for it right away.
The invention made billions of dollars for the family. They lived in peace and harmony, never worrying about debt and money again. They all thought and prayed about that old man everyday. For that old man had changed the world, but at a price. He could have spent about another ten happy years with his family, but he was killed by his own stubbornness. So he made a foolish mistake that could have been prevent easily, but his stupid pride took control over him, and caused him to die; and that was his greatest mistake of all.
Hope you liked it!:D
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