Arid Antlephore
Euclid fiddled with the zapper. He had been trying to develop a way for the zapper to change the size of objects - make them smaller or larger at will. Charity had come up to him asking for his help with her local free food stand; they reasoned that if she could make the food and Euclid could find a way to enlarge it while still keeping it healthy, Charity would be able to spend less time on her cooking and more time doing, well, other acts of charity. She had come in bright-eyed nearly a week ago and offered to stay and help, but Euclid had shook her head and told her the process would not be short. He had stayed in his lab then, slaving over the machine, making small adjustments here and there. As his test subject, he had an apple poised in front of the zapper and had zapped it after every minor change. Most of the time, the apple appeared no different, but every once in a while it would be reduced to a pile of dust and Euclid was forced to replace it.
He grew anxious now, not wanting to let Charity down. She was so sweet and all she wanted to do was help the poor and new inhabitants of Subeta. Euclid sighed and began tinkering with the zapper again. Although the Masquerade was at the height of its swing now, he couldn't go and join the fun on Atebus until he had finished this task for Charity. Thus, he stayed up day and night, without sleeping and spent many long hours working on his machine. One night, when the Atebus was high above and all the other inhabitants of Subeta were asleep, Euclid thought he had it. His whole body brimmed with excitement and he longed to test it right away. With a quick dash to the sink, he splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up and then ran back to the machine.
He steadied the zapper and aimed it directly at the apple. He was about to flick the switch when, suddenly, an antlephore bumbled into his lab. *An antlephore? What is that fair creature doing in here? A lab is no place for it. I must get it out at once!* Euclid rushed out to try and catch it, but it, not liking Euclid's white lab coat flapping behind him or the squeak of his shoes on the tiled floor, bounded off. All around the lab Euclid chased it, until weary, the antlephore came to stop near the zapper and stood still.
"At last, I have you," said Euclid in what he hoped was a calming voice. "Come here now and I'll get you somewhere more comfortable. You don't like being in my lab any more than I like having you here. Come, before you hurt yourself."
The antlephore did not move a muscle. Euclid lunged at it, but, with a speed that astounded the scientist, it was gone. There was a loud zap and Euclid froze in fear. In his haste to catch the antlephore and lead it to safety, he had accidently bumped the switch of the zapper. Hastening to the front of the zapper, he found the antlephore standing, munching on the apple. To his surprise, the antlephore was not the same one he had been chasing minutes before; it was ashy grey but had antlers of a beautiful, rich magenta. Almost it looked like an arid antlephore, except its colors were more vivid and intense than any he had seen before. Reaching a cautious hand out to it, he found that the antlephore no longer strayed from his touch.
"Come here, young thing," he beckoned. To his amazement, the antlephore followed him quite willingly. "I ought to get you out of here. We will make a quick stop at the Healer, to make sure nothing is wrong, and then to Charity in the morning it is. Don't worry, she will make sure you have a good home."
With a last, longing glance at the zapper, Euclid shut the lights off in his lab. Perhaps one day he might be able to help Charity with her work. For now though, he had a more pressing matter to take care of. He laid his hand on the antlephore's head and they set off into the rising dawn.
credits:
profile template (c) 
helix (get it)
background, overlay, & story by Shakespeare
