Synthesis
“And you’re saying this came from a tree, Izz?” says Mark, holding the vial of black liquid to the lamp hanging above the dinner table.
“Yep. An oak, that one. In the heartwood. Imagine it sort of like a distillery. We burn it, collect the smoke, and eventually you get what we originally thought was just oils or residue from the wood. We ran it through a few filters, and there you go,” says Isabelle.
The liquid seems to have a life of its own. Its viscosity changes as Mark turns it over in his hand, and it sticks to the glass walls wherever his fingers grip the vial.
“Pretty strange, huh?” he says.
“I’ve never seen anything like that, Izzy. It looks like it wants you, Mark,” says Jennifer.
A purple wandering jew hangs near a grandfather clock in the corner of Isabelle’s dining room. The oven beeps in the next room.
“At least something does. Have some more wine, honey. Maybe you’ll want me too.”
“Cheers, baby,” she says as they clink their glasses.
“We think it’s reacting to body heat,” says Izzy. “It does the same thing to the mice we did some tests with. It spreads over their skin.”
“So, what’s it do, then?” says Jennifer.
“We weren’t sure at first,” says Izzy. “The mouse I fed it to was a control in that memory study from a couple months back. It had pretty much served its purpose, so no big deal. And, soon after, I dropped him in the maze. Top performer after just two tries.”
“Meaning…” says Mark.
The oven beeps a second time.
“Memory enhancement. Trouble is, I’ve got no idea how it works. Or why,” says Isabelle. “We’re running bloodwork on all exposed mice this week.”
She closes a sliding door to the backyard. It’s getting a bit too cool, and it seems as if a storm is rolling in, brushing the evergreen leaves of a nearby magnolia against the exterior of the house. Her heels clack against the hardwood floors as she walks to check the oven.
“You guys ready to eat?”
“As long as I can drip some of this into the sauce. All natural, right?” says Mark.
Jennifer snatches the vial from her husband.
“How about we let Izzy see what’s actually happening to those mice first, okay?”
