riotheclown | wk 1, brigits flame schadenfreude prompt, 1700 wds. gp

Homesick

PT NAME: given name Lazarus

HFN: 637729

ACCT#: R28349490subject

DOB: approx. 15 years previous to today’s date

RRR: 00000001

SERVICE DATE: 25:02:13

"Lazarus" is presently being treated for cancer and appears to be responding well. (Note: I call the subject by the name Lazarus, chosen by my staff, as it is directed in the ethical guidelines that all test subjects should be given names when their actual names are unknown.)

He is approximately 15 years of age given that he has adult teeth still to come in. His size is small for a male that age, just under four-span. Compared to the bodies of his kind that we have examined he is small for his age presumably due to cancer and years of mal-nourishment.

He was found by accident by one of our teams during the excavation of an area of a city designated X. His body was so filthy he was almost missed and could have possibly been crushed by rescuers except for the sound of the feline, equally filthy, alerting the workers. The feline was rescued along with the patient.

Given the fact that Lazarus was extremely frail and undergoing therapy which has required the patient to be in an induced coma for long periods of time no psychiatric evaluation was possible for over a year.

We have left a note book and pencil for the patient to write in and are pleased to see that he has in fact used them; however, at this time we are unable to discern the language he is using. (Further tests will involve an opportunity to examine his written language and its relationship for the patient in creating personal context.)

PT NAME: given name Lazarus

HFN: 637729

ACCT#: R28349490subject

DOB: approx. 15 years previous to today’s date

RRR: 00000001

SERVICE DATE: 25:03:13

Lazarus has been getting more robust however I use this expression rather generously.

We have arranged a few preliminary tests for him, one of which facilitated the patient bathing himself.

Before waking from sedation the door to his room was left open. A short hall led to another room where we placed a large bathtub and toiletries.

We observed there was some hesitation on the part of Lazarus to even leave his room. He sat for some time just looking at the door. This could be a result of physical weakness as Lazarus has only started to regain his strength, but it is this doctor's opinion that the open door presented other challenges to the patient. I will expand on this supposition at a later date.

I need to mention the feline. It continues to cling to the patient and in this instance acted as a sort of barrier marker for him, advancing and retreating: gesturing threateningly (puffing up, hissing) and then acquiescing to the space around the boy. It is not my intention to analyze the behaviour of the feline; however, I recognize that the two cannot be separated. The feline has become an expression of the subject/patients "being", for want of a better word. They spend inordinate periods curled around each other and if nothing else, this proximity has served to calm the boy. It is purely in an effort to speed his recovery and not an empathic emotion-based decision that this relationship has been allowed to continue.

The patient was hesitant and confused at first when entering the room with the bath tub. It appeared to this observer that some of his anxiety lessened as he seemed to form the shape of words with his mouth. (This was a profound experience for the boy in that he wrote a great deal in his book after returning to his room.)

He successfully cleaned himself and put on the garment we left for him. It is completely comfortable and warm. Slippers were also supplied. He seemed pleased and made an expression with his face that conveyed this. It appeared to be exhausting and stressful for him. He has a limited understanding of his situation. He continued to mouth a word as he fell asleep. As this word was not to communicate with us I am interested to see what effect spoken language has for the individual internally.

The next experiment was less successful. In the opposite direction we left a door opening into the hall way. This time there was a large metal table and a book that had been retrieved in amazingly pristine condition.

The book was found in a vault by one of our field crews. We have determined that it was not a burial vault. It did have three dead individuals in it, asphyxiated, along with various miniature representations of wheeled vehicles and polymer castings of animals. All artefacts are being processed and a full report will be appended to this report.

After looking at the book Lazarus became visibly upset and started to weep. He tried to lift the book but found it too heavy for him. He returned to his room and curled up in a foetal position and sobbed for some time, but then got up and tried to return to the room, perhaps to try to remove the book again. Unfortunately one of my staff had inadvertently locked the door.

The gathering of his newly acquired possessions around his cot seems to be a hoarding behaviour. It is difficult to say if it is due to the severe circumstances of this subject’s life or if it is indeed a typical behaviour of his species. It was a strong impulse that when thwarted (i.e. unable to lift the book to bring to his room) his distress increased. Exhaustion finally won.

While this experiment did not render any information about Lazarus’s written language, it did present new questions about his relationship with language and what it appears to evoke on a physical and emotional level.

It is my intention to open another door for Lazar and supply him with other examples of written language. I am waiting for material from our field retrieval team.

So far no other survivors have been found in the area designated X however there is much optimism at finding more artefacts.

Dr. Aims MD, FRCPC

Division of Human Research and Anthropology

RRR

Cc: Dr. Breen

PT NAME: given name Lazar

HFN: 637729

ACCT#: R28349490subject

DOB: approx. 16 years

RRR: 00000001

SERVICE DATE: 27:04:13

We continue to treat Lazarus sombalisticaly and will start an aggressive vibration treatment now that he is visibly more robust.

He has gained 15 units of weight and though still slight and small for his assumed age he is beginning to show physical signs of maturity; The prevalent engorgement of the penis on waking for example and hair growing on his face and strategic places on his body.

There is also a distinct odour which is (assumed to be) related to the sexual development, and for purposes of attracting a mate. It is so pungent and offensive to our staff that it has been suggested we neuter the subject. However, given that we may find a female I have chosen a simpler route and that is to make the bath available to Lazarus on a regular basis.

We will introduce some of our cleansing lotions which will deal with the odour.

The resumption of his sexual development could have chemical effects on his brain and manifest in aggression of the type the evidence shows was so prevalent in his species.

There is some question as to whether the gathering behaviour Lazarus displayed taken to its full expression was a contributor in the cataclysm which essentially destroyed his species.

I would not risk a hypothesis at this time.

The mass flooding due to the reversal of the poles has been compared to a beast shaking itself to rid its fur of parasites, the parasites being the human species. I have pointed out to the staff that such metaphors, regardless of how apt are a diminished appreciation of the suffering of this species and completely against protocol.

(I must also note that we are long past the recommended duration of exposure to the planet, two of my staff already showing signs of inappropriate responses. The activity of rejoicing in the misery of the test subject, while understandable, given the evidence of the gross crimes perpetuated by the species on its planet, is nevertheless unacceptable. They will require rehabilitation on return. If their replacements do not arrive soon I will have to place them in stasis to limit the damage and continue work on my own until their replacements arrive.)

On the southern hemisphere there have been more hopeful signs of surviving eco-systems that might support the re-introduction of human and other species. It is arguable as to whether the human species should be reintroduced. If this gathering and hording behaviour is stronger than other brain functions, the species will be found to be too virulent to co-exist in a sustainable ecosystem. Obviously there is far more to human behaviour than we will ever completely understand especially since there is no natural habitat for us to observe them in and at present only one subject.

However, in humans favour is written language, which we are still attempting to decipher. I believe they even have forms of poetry but this has not yet been proven. If true, we should make an effort to support the continuation of the species.

I apologise for my tendency towards supposition, and emotionality. For the purpose of analysis I will not strike my musing from this report. I just want to state that long exposure to this planet is having detrimental effects on my entire team’s physiology and mental state, mine as well. I will of course submit to rehabilitation when I return home.

Dr. Aims MD, FRCPC

Division of Human Research and Anthropology

Note to self: I found water running from my eyes while observing Lazarus. I have no explanation for this as Vulcan’s do not cry. Even as I write this I observe tears. I wonder if I will ever see my home and my wife again. I am afraid, even on returning, that I will never be the same. What has happened here is too terrible. I sense the whole universe would weep for the planet if it had eyes.

Note to self: Strike this and the above note from the record.