The Pill Ch. 1

In the housing development of Mossy Oaks, the lawns were green, and the houses were huge. It was the kind of place that told of success, but that was the outside. The mailman walked down one of the sidewalks with a happy gait. Anybody that saw the man would say that the man was unseasonably happy. People in the neighborhood often only put out happiness like a mask to cover their miserable lives. It was a perfect morning as his shiny rubber sole hit the concrete of the sidewalk. He was enjoying this particular place, looking for his quarry. An old woman that he knew fit the parameters of the experiment he was conducting.

The yards were green, and trees lined the sidewalk so that the sidewalk and the road were both under the shade of a green canopy. Sprinklers were going on, and he waved and smiled at all he passed. No one stopped him or asked him what he was doing. He was just a stand-in mailman it seemed and so that explained his queer way of things. No one even bothered to notice that he skipped all the mailboxes. It was a great disguise and one quickly put together.

On his person and under an arm, he carried the signature blue pouch, but inside was only one envelope. One envelope that would change the life of the old woman he chose to bless with it. He began to whistle a tune and soon approached the house of where the subject lived.

Mailbox open and in went the manilla envelope. He hoped that the results would be good ones with this person. He turned on a heel and continued his merry way. It was time to go back to the lab to find another who would fit his strict criteria for testing. If anybody remembered him, it would be a miracle. So he left to let the story of his subject unfold.

Martha was sitting in her light blue lazy boy chair. The chair had faded over long years of use, which often was because she was knitting. The clicking of knitting needles seemed always to match the oldies that played on her radio. Here she sat, at the same time of day in the early morning, awaiting the arrival of her help.

Her help was a young boy of twenty. If she were younger with her old hot per blonde body, she would have continually offered herself to him in unabashed ways. But alas, she was in her 80’s now and withering away. Long blonde silky hair had turned gray. Wrinkled skin replaced what was before smooth and shiny light tan skin. She was beautiful even in her early 50’s, but it was gone now. Gone like her husband, who’s absence from her life made her feel alone. Maybe that was why she liked the young help so much. He was sweet and kind to her and reminded her of her husband. Kind, caring, and handsome was the way to describe him. Seeing him alway brought a pang of desire and guilt in her, but was always crushed by an overwhelming sense of embarrassment as she grew wet on wrinkled hair lips. Often she found herself wondering why her libido had never ceased to be active over the years. So she sat in her chair, thinking of his body and regretting being old. Only solstice left to her was knitting sweaters for grandchildren who didn’t appreciate them and never visited.

The sound of a key being inserted interrupted her thoughts and made her excited. He was here, and the deadbolt turned with
a loud click. Her young knight came in, always dressed appropriately in a collard shirt and slacks. It was now one in the afternoon, and she was bursting with joy, her old heart beating hard in her chest.

“I’m here Mrs. Harper,” he said.

She was sad that her voice did his no justice as she answered him.

“I’m in here,” she answered with her shaky old voice.

In he waltzed and all smiles.

“See your knitting again. Sweater for Sarah?”

“Yea.”

“I have your mail by the way,” He said as he approached her. She dropped the needles and took the lone brown letter. The boy
walked off, and the sounds of the fridge opening made her smile. He making lunch and after that; he would clean a little and just keep her
company.

Her attention turned to the letter. The manilla envelope was ripped open within seconds.
Out popped a small bag with a weird looking shimmering blue pill and a message on cardstock.
She read the letter.

To Whom, it may concern,

Hello, my name is X. Congratulations, you have been selected for an experiment. Your husband (my condolences, he was a great man) signed you up. Inside you will find a pill. Please take it. You will see that it will be worth it. Dale wanted to offer you a grand opportunity to a happier life after he passed. He invested in my research, and I promised that if the fruit were to bare, I would consider you. So here it is, the promise of what it will do. It will return you to a younger self and give you pleasure. If you take and don’t like the results, all you need to do is call this Number (**********). I hope you do take it and wish you luck on the adventure that awaits you. So all you have to do is think of your favorite animal and wait. Results vary on how fast the pill works, but you’ll not be disappointed.
Sincerely,
X

Martha was at a loss for words.