It was a dark night on the streets of London. A flash of light lit up the night sky as a bolt of lightning struck the Earth. A young girl rushed home as the streetlamps ceased to flicker. As she ran, a sound of galloping followed her. She saw the shadow of a carriage on the dark trees slowly approaching her. It pulled up next to her, and a hooded figure appeared. The girl let out a cry for help, as the man grabbed her arm. She was forced into the carriage. After several minutes of riding, she was acquainted with her destination. The trees parted as a huge mansion came into view. It was gated and had towering bushes almost hiding the tall minarets. The gates opened as the hooded figure whispered to the guard. After riding down the long driveway, the girl was pulled out of the carriage and was brought into the house. Inside was a huge room with a mahogany floor and a high ceiling. Hanging on the walls were several animal heads, and a few mysterious looking pictures. The man unveiled himself and the girl let out a shriek of disgust. She was appalled by his ugliness. The man grabbed the girl and dragged her down the steps. She cried in pain as he threw her into a dark room. She trembled in fear of what was to come. There was a dim light, illuminating skeletons hanging from the walls. Petrified by the sight of this, she crawled up against the corner of the room, almost trying to conceal herself in the darkness. After hours of sitting and waiting, the girl began to doze off and eventually fell into a deep sleep.

As the poor young girl slept, several miles away, a man and woman were engaged in a loud altercation. Their voices were filled with panic, unsure of their daughter’s whereabouts. They visited all of their acquaintances and family in town, only to find out that their daughter was not seen by anyone. The couple decided there was nothing to do other than call for the local police. They reported their daughter missing, and had no choice but to wait for some favorable news.

The next morning, the door of the dungeon creaked and there was a glimpse of light as the man stuck his head through the door. He screamed at the child, ordering her to come up the stairs. She hurried up the stairs and exited the dark dungeon. The man seized her and brought her to the dining room for a giant feast. She sat by a long table opposite the ugly fiend. Before her were pots of every food she could ever remember. Some pots even had food that she had never seen. The man ordered her to eat until he decides that she may finish. She ate and ate for a couple of hours having onset feelings of nausea. She pleaded to the man to let her stop. He allowed her to stop, only to make sure that she does not vomit. Once more, the man grasped the girl and threw her in the dungeon.

It was two days since the parents heard from their daughter. That morning, a loud knock came on the door and a man with a brown coat and hat entered. He introduced himself as Detective Henry Jekyns. The couple removed his coat and hat, and offered him a cup of tea. He politely accepted and took a seat on the sofa. The couple spoke to the man with a sense of sorrow in their voices. They spoke of their young daughter and the incident that happened. The man ensured the couple that he would do all in his power to find the young girl.

In the secluded mansion, the girl slept in the dungeon as the evil scientist prepared his lab to use her in his experiment. The girl was still unaware of why she was there, but that would soon be revealed to her. The scientist prepped his synthetic bodies and human brains, waiting for the last component of his experiment: a child’s heart. He had been longing for this success for decades, and it was finally becoming a reality. The girl was of perfect stature and health. All she needed was a bit more fat on her small bones. Tonight he would feed her pounds and pounds of fatty foods for her to be perfect for the experiment.

The scientist prepped his lab all day, and at nightfall a sudden knock came on his door. Wondering whom it may be, he rushed to the door. Behind it was his old friend Henry Jekyns. He opened the door and a huge smile came onto his face. Henry told him that he was in town for business and decided to drop by. The scientist insisted that he stay for the giant feast tonight, and Henry accepted. The scientist was thrilled, but then realized that he would have to explain the girl’s presence. He decided to have the girl eat with them. Never would he postpone his experiment.


The scientist rushed down the stairs with a brush and a tiny dress. He ordered the girl to put it on and look nice for dinner. In one hour, they would have a feast, but this time with company. He warned the girl not to utter a word about the kidnapping or he would immediately kill her. She was told to feign the role of his niece, who was abandoned by her mother and taken in by her good-natured uncle. The dinner began as planned and when the girl entered the room, the friend was stunned. He was unaware that his old friend had a daughter or family. The scientist explained to Henry that it was his niece who was abandoned by her mother. Henry accepted this fabricated lie, not even questioning its validity. As the two caught up with each other and laughed at their old memories, the girl was eating and eating just as the scientist had told her. She gave him a look of despair, but he responded with a cruel expression, meaning that she mustn’t stop eating. She did as she was ordered, and when the guest left, she was thrown back into the dungeon. Longing to return home, she curled up into the same corner and fell asleep.

The next morning, Detective Henry Jekyns returned to the couple. He told them that he had not made significant progress but he did hear of a kidnapping on Main Street in downtown London. He said that he will look into the kidnapping and will find their daughter. Then, he saw a glimpse of a small painting across the room. The couple saw his interest in the painting and showed it to him. It was a family portrait painted a year ago with their daughter. The detective commented on their daughter’s beauty and suddenly felt a feeling of terror overcome him. He recognized that girl, and realized where he saw her. He stormed out of the house, but he did not explain to them what was going on. Hoping for the best, they sat and waited.

It was the big day in the scientist’s mansion, and he was the happiest he would be in twenty years. He woke up early and took the girl to his lab. They walked through corridor after corridor of glass, with odd creatures held behind them. There were ghostlike figures, crossbreeds of vicious animals, and monstrous creatures. The girl was frightened by these figures, but even more frightened of what she would see in the lab. When they entered the room, she saw bodies hanging from the walls, and bowls of brains on the shelves. The scientist strapped her down to the chair, and made the final preparations for her and one other body. He lifted the scalpel and she uttered a yelp, but then she was relieved to see that he was cutting the other body. He placed one of the brains into the body’s head, and patched it back up. Now it was time for the girl’s heart.

Detective Jekyns rushed to his old friend’s house, filled with rage. He arrived at the gate and ordered the guard to let him in. The guard remembered him from the feast and opened the gates. He needed to find the girl, before it was too late.

In the lab, the scientist sent thousands of volts of electricity into his synthetic body. The room lit up and there was a loud noise, and almost instantaneously, all the lights in the lab went out. The detective heard the noise and followed it to the lab. He ran through the door, and was shocked at what he saw.

The detective gaped at the scientist’s creation. It was virtually an exact copy of him, and even more frightening was the fact that it was alive and breathing. Lying in a chair with tight restraints was the poor young girl butchered by the evil scientist. Her heart was removed and placed in the monster, giving it the qualities of a poor little girl. The detective was stunned by what his old friend had done.

The scientist, embarrassed from the fact that his friend saw this, explained to him that he did this for one reason only. He reminded him of thirty years before, when they first met. They formed a bond that no other friends ever had. For ten years, they had lunch every day, helped each other out in time of need, and were the only family each of them had. Then, ten years into their friendship, Henry moved to France for business. Since then, the scientist has had no family or friends. He tried to explain to Henry how much he missed him, and that the only way to get him back was to make a copy of him. He spent years making a synthetic body, getting a brain, and hardest of all, getting a heart filled with compassion and love that Henry had. He thought that the only person to fit that requirement was the little, innocent girl. The detective was disgusted and surprised by his old friend. He called for the police and went to the family to apologize. Unfortunately, they would never see their poor daughter again.