When I woke from a short-timed sleep, a voice whispered in my ear to lay its thick rasp over my mind in the way the fog dressed the mountains nearby the laboratory. “The chosen contender is extraordinarily fit for another experimental test run, as beta-analysis has shown. Steching will soon understand what it means to be researched by one of science’s greatest minds roaming these earthly spheres. *recording noise* It’s sad that it’s bound to this terminally deceased planet. *recording noise* Ah, Steching, please, take a seat. Nurse, you can leave us alone.” The one-sided headphone had stayed on me, while the container of Chinese food headed towards the ground to stain the sticky office floor with seafood in sweet-sour sauce and different pickled vegetables. I had listened in on the recordings a hundred times. It was a wonder they were complete. It is now in my possession. It still felt as though there was information hidden, things untold, even though one had to imagine the missing piece first, then form a thesis, construct the unseen artifact, and then practice validation as part of the riddle’s outing of the conglomerate of cryptic hints in between audible spoken lines. Steching—yes, he must have been the key subject in this cold case. “Steching is wonderful; you are in good shape, I see. We will play our simple games together. I will show you pictures, and you will give me quick associations. We have done this before. Do you remember? *recording noises* You see rainy scenery. Yes, where does it lead you? *recording noises* A star-sprangled sky. Interesting. *recording noises* Jupiter, you say. Enough. Enough! I am coming to understand.” They laughingly called my little precious office the end of the church. Idiots! Their deranged expressions I remember, truly. They were, in fact, unable to know that glory would find me through the finding and decoding of the doctor’s valuable documentation. *recording noise* “It is Friday night. I am alone. The nurse has taken Steching with her again. I know the truth. It was stinging all along. The question and the answer. We’ll have to take good care of Steching from here on out. He is a sensible object. The most interesting unsolved equation I have been challenged by in my career. *recording noise* What do you say, nurse? He is gone! How could he escape? Steching! Steching! We have to return him to the laboratory! I need him for my research! *recording noise * Steching!” *recording noise* I felt for the poor doctor with an almost childish empathy. We called his name: “Steching!” I felt that. Steching knew for himself that he was more than a treasure or a trophy in a cabinet. He was godlike to us. If they’d only see Steching for what he was, They would have supported both our attempts to unravel this essential universal mystery waging mankind’s fortune. Instead, they threatened to ruin me for unproductive project management. Restrict my funds and throw me out on the street. So, it was decided. I had to make a run myself and take Steching along. I wiped glutenous leftovers from my coat, stored my headphone and recording device inside my X-Men shoulder bag, and reached for the door. Hallway, Level 2. Left. Right. Left. Steching. Left. Right. Steching. Upstairs. Hallway: Level 3. Left. Left. Left. Steching. Steching. Steching. Upstairs. Hallway, Level 4. Steching. Steching. Steching. Upstairs. Hallway, Level 5. Steching. Steching. Right. Upstairs. The roof. Rain fell from a star-sprangled sky. Just like Steching had predicted. The truth. Too close. Dr. Steching must have experienced the same, knowing what he knew. About Steching—and disappeared. Maybe kidnapped. The truth is, I needed to protect it. I ran to the platform edge to stare into the abyssal, dark woods nearby the foggy mountains. No one would find me there. Steching is THE doctoral candidate. The truth. I jumped.
