The feather duster did not taste good. The broom didn't either. I added those two to my growing list of tastes when nurse Gracie had her back turned. She had already told me not to taste the books. But what she didn't see, she couldn't tell me not to do.

“Alright Mary, we're done in here. I need to go into town, so we're going to find Randolph. Would you like to meet a new friend?”
I nodded and almost fell down from it again. The more selfs other than I, the better!

Randolph lived a few doors down from the library. Nurse Gracie knocked and waited. A muffled voice came from the other side, sounding deep, like doctor Reg, but not quite.

“It's open.”

But it wasn't open, the door was closed! This Randolph person was weird!

Nurse Gracie went in, leaving it open. I shrugged and knocked on the door. This time the voice was clear and loud.

“Come in!”

I came into a dimly lit chamber, more dim than the other rooms I'd seen in the daytime. Day time had been explained to me by nurse Gracie as we worked; it was the time when the Sun was in the sky. Randolph was in his bed, and he was wrapped up in clothes from his head to his feet.

Not the clothes I was used to either, they were strips that covered all but his brown eyes and black hair. They were colored red in places, and were on under the types of clothes I was used to; Black 'bottom clothes and white top clothes He also had a coat hanging from a chair.

That's not fair, I wanted different color clothes too!

“Good morning!”

Nurse Gracie shook her head.

“No Mary, this late, with the sun shining from that direction, see it? This late it's good afternoon.”

OK. Why was it like that? No time for that now, I wanted to be nice.

“Good afternoon!”

“So this is our mysterious benefactor? Good afternoon, Mary was it?”

“Yes, Mary!”

“I'm Randolph. Pleased to meet you.”

He held his hand out. I looked at it, curious. What did he want?

“You shake his hand, Mary, like this.”

Nurse Gracie demonstrated, grabbing Randolph's hand and moving it up and down twice. I could do that.

“Now, gently Mary, Randolph isn't every strong.”

I did so, being extra careful. Once I got close, I could smell him. He smelled of some chemical and food.

“This is a traditional way of greeting someone when first meeting them. It's a polite thing to do... and we will cover being polite later, when I have the time.”

“She's fairly....”

Nurse Gracie interrupted what Randolph as going to say.

“No she isn't. She's just been asleep a long time. Longer than you've been alive. She has forgotten much, and needs to relearn. She's actually very smart.”

What was smart? And a more important question, why did Randolph talk differently?

“Randolph talks....”

“Yes, Mary, what is it?”

“Talks no like nurse Gracie!”

She looked at Randolph, who did not look nice at me.

“That's: 'Randolph does not talk like nurse Gracie', Mary. When Randolph and I do things differently, that is how you say it.”

“Yes, Mary, I have an accent.”

I took the chance to taste him, since he was still close. I still had his hand in mine, so it was easy.

“Mary, that's not polite!”

“What is she doing, Gracie?”

He tasted like something that made my tongue feel funny and, very faintly, of food. Or his clothes did, at any rate. I stopped because nurse Gracie didn't like it. I didn't want to make her mad at me, then she might leave me alone!

“She's tasting you. She just learned about taste this morning, and she's been trying to taste everything she can.”

I wondered what an accent was, and why it affected speech.

“... I'm sorry?”

Nurse Gracie shook her head, but smiled.

“It's alright Mary, but you can't just taste people. It isn't polite at all. And we will be talking about what being polite means when I get back. Randolph, I leave her in your capable hands. Be back soon, Mary.”

And nurse Gracie left to do things. I still wasn't sure where she was going. Somewhere else in the 'castle', perhaps? After all that was where doctor Reg went when he left.

“Hey, don't leave me alone with her!”

I looked at Randolph expectantly; I knew he was going to do something interesting, and I didn't want to miss any of it, whatever it was.

“So, um... Mary, you tasted me, what do I taste like?”

“a weird taste and food.”

He looked at me oddly.

“Food, huh? You aren't hungry are you?”

Hungry?

“What is Hungry?”

He put his head in his hands.

“Hungry is when you want food. Your tummy', he pointed at my lower half. 'makes noise sometimes.”

“Oh! Mary was hungry earlier then, but Mary is not now. Why?”

“It's nothing, nothing at all. So Mary, what do you like to do?”

Do? What did I like to do? Had I even done anything? What were the options? I looked around desperately, I didn't want to make my new friend mad at me either, and this seemed very important! I saw lots of dark furniture, a sort of mirror, with a stereo under it, a book, and not much else.

Wait, a book!

“Mary likes to read.”

He looked... surprised?

“Oh you do, do you? Well I do have some books handy, do you have a preference?”

What was a 'preference'?” Taking a chance, I shook my head.

“Well then Hemingway it is.”

He handed me the book. I looked at it, and opened it up, but I couldn't make it work.

“Oh for heaven's sake. You can't read, can you?”

I shook my head.

“...I'm sorry?”

Randolph put his head in his hands again.

“Then why did you say you... ahh, I get it. Gracie reads to you, and you listen, right?”

I nodded and smiled as hard as I could.

“Alright, I guess we can do that. Take a seat... no wait, that's just asking for an old gag to be played at my expense. Sit down on the bed Mary, and I'll read to you.”

I sat, and he did. The story was of an old man fishing in the ocean. I wasn't sure I understood everything, but he worked hard to catch a big fish, then to protect it from other fish that wanted to eat it because they were greedy and didn't want him to have any. It was a long story, and it was sad, and made me sad.

Randolph shut the book suddenly; it made a snap sound.

“Mary, are you crying?”

What was crying? Randolph touched my eyes.

“Hmm, no tears. Mary, are you sad?”

I remembered sad well. I was sad when in the darkness, among other things. And yes I was very sad.

“Sad story.”

“Yes it is, I'm sorry. I should have read you something happier. I didn't realize....”

“What is crying?”

Randolph blinked, slowly. That looked like fun too; so many fun things to do with eyes!

“Crying is, hmmm... crying is leaking water from your eyes, if you're sad enough.”

You could leak water from your eyes too?!? So much to do with eyes!

But when I checked, I wasn't doing it.

“Hah. You're pouting now. You want to be able to cry?”

I thought about it, then shook my head. Who wanted to be sad enough to cry? I just wanted to be able to leak water from somewhere. I mean I didn't use my hole, and now everyone else could leak water from their eyes but me.

“Good girl, I don't like crying either. If I cried I'd likely never stop.”

What did Randolph have to be sad about? I hugged him – gently – so he wouldn't be sad. Being together, being able to feel, makes everything better. The door opened.

“And what's going on here, hmm?”

Nurse Gracie was back!

“Nurse Gracie!”

I remembered at the last minute to be gentle when hugging.

“Oof! Hey there Mary, I missed you too.”

What was missed?

“Missed you.”

“So errands all completed?”

“Sure are. Thank you for keeping Mary occupied.”

Randolph shook his head.

“She's quite... clingy, isn't she?”

“I think she has some cause. Come on Mary, you can let go now, I need to move. So what did you do while I was gone?”

“Mary read with Randolph!”

“Oh you did? What did you read with Randolph?”

Randolph was making weird gestures with his hands; I didn't understand.

“Hemingway. An old man and an ocean.”

“That's 'The old man and the sea', Mary. Randolph read that, did he? And what did you think of it?”

That look nurse Gracie was giving Randolph was scary, somehow.

“I think it was sad.”

She looked at me for a moment like she was at Randolph, and I made myself smaller. Then she shook her head and smiled, and everything was all right again, so I smiled back.

“You're lucky Randolph. I don't think she understood it.”

Randolph shook his head.

“We never reached the ending, it's too long for that. She understood what she heard well enough.”

They were talking about me; I just knew it.

“Well let's see. Mary, let's let Randolph do his own thing for now, and you can tell me all about it.”

That was a terrible idea!

“No. Randolph does Mary's thing.”

“Oh, you want him to come along?”

I nodded really hard, but I learned a few things from this morning. I didn't make myself fall over this time.

“....really clingy. Mary why do you want me to come along?”

“Mary does not want Randolph to be alone.”

Randolph gave me a soft look, and nurse Gracie hugged me for some reason. I returned it; hugs are always good. The more the better!

“I'll tell you what Mary, I'll make a deal with you. If you can get that chair through the door and into your room without breaking it or anything else, I will go with you, and stay while you and Gracie do whatever it is you will do. Alright?”

I nodded really hard again, and looked at the chair. It was large, dark, and soft, with a nice feeling to it. I picked it up, very gently, and tried to move it through the door. It was too wide. It would never fit! How had it gotten in here in the first place? Had it been built here?

No, nurse Gracie said the castle had been moved here, so wouldn't the chair have been too? Was it built after the castle? It looked like it might be old. I tried it the other way; that way was even worse! What to do?

I set the chair down and used my arm to see how long the chair was all over. Then I did the same to the open door. There was no way! The chair was clearly bigger in all the ways that counted. It wasn't taller, that was it.

Wait... there was one other way it might work.

I took the chair and set it on it's side (gently) then I worked the tall part out the doorway first. Then the rest of it got moved so the tall part was off to the side, and the rest of the chair fit!

“Not bad, that didn't take her long at all. I know quite a few people that still don't catch on to that trick. The measuring was a nice touch.”

What was 'measuring'?

I picked the chair back up and marched proudly down the hall, then opened my door and did the same thing. It fit easily. Randolph clapped his hands, which looked like fun, so I did too.

“Alright Mary, put the chair upright in the corner there, and that's where I'll be.”

I gently set it down the right way, and Randolph plopped down in it with a sigh. Was something wrong? He caught my look, and somehow understood it.

“I'm fine Mary, I'm just a bit tired is all. Don't worry.”

Tired? What was that? I despaired of ever learning all of these things! But I had a good remedy for ba (maybe) things. I went and got Stitches the rabbit, and gave it to him.

“Stitches the rabbit will help.”

He looked dubious.

“Um, how will Stitches help?”

I corrected him. Nurse Gracie gave him the look. The new look I didn't like, at least when it was directed at me.

“Stitches the rabbit will help. She will be with you.”

“Alright Mary, if you're sure. I might get Stitches the rabbit dirty.”

I smiled at him.

“She gets clean!”

I turned back to nurse Gracie.

“Read time!”

Nurse Gracie shook her head, but grabbed a book.

“That's 'reading time' Mary. The present time action is 'reading'.”

“Reading time!”

“Alright Mary, I've got just the book.”

She sat on the bed; that wasn't right. I hugged her and helped her lay down, then snuggled for warmth.

“Oh my god... that's darn near... “

I looked up, Randolph was looking weird.

“Shut up, Randolph, or I'll put itching powder in your bandages.”

Randolph sank into the chair clutching Stitches the rabbit.

“I'll be good.”

I wasn't sure what was going on, but Randolph wasn't talking any more, so I settled back down to listen to nurse Gracie read.

…...................................................................................................................................................

I wiped my eyes on the back of a hand. Mary was once again in her room, on her bed, where coverage was of course the best; two cameras hidden in either wall corner and an entire suite of monitors built directly into the bed assured the absolute best coverage I could get.

A further precaution of cameras scattered throughout the castle and monitors of my own design in every doorway assured me I would get up to the minute information; they synced with the chip implanted within Mary herself to transmit all the data I could ever need on the processes going on within her.

How to make sense of it all, was up to me.

It pained me to be away from her; after all this time she was awake! She was better than I'd hoped, could have ever dreamed! Sure, she was childlike, missing much. But there was no reason to believe she would stay that way. After so much work, so much sacrifice, my friend was back.

If only her father were alive to see it. He had died last year, without knowing the results of our latest line of research. I dreaded the moment Mary would remember and ask the question. I half hoped she wouldn't, but I had mentioned her father to her last night.

She would not forget; I would not be that lucky.

Instead I poured myself into the research, the pure data. It was both as I predicted and stranger than I could have asked for.

Mary wasn't human; not anymore. The body I finally settled on to house her is perfect for her needs; I got so very lucky there. I almost considered calling the Knights of Purity in order to thank them personally, but that seemed in poor taste.

I did call Erica; I felt she deserved to know her donation had paid off well beyond most people's expectations. She had never doubted me, not even once. Even when everyone else called me a quack and smeared my good name.

Her essence was spreading throughout the corpse, taking over certain bodily functions and mimicking the function of organs. Last night it had spread through skin and muscle. This morning it had been in the stomach, greedily desiring more biological matter to feed it's growth. By tonight it would be in the heart and liver.

Would her heart beat once again?

I wasn't unduly worried about the lack of tear duct response, after all, the only thing currently moistening her eyes was her essence, and that would not allow itself to be removed in such a way. I had seen the black film under Mary's eyes last night purely by chance when she rolled her eyes at me.

Was it wrong to be excited about that? To see a life form that once was human, and is now so obviously not; to understand the significance of the process taking place, and be giddy as a schoolboy on the first day of summer vacation? I sure hoped not.

The readings were fascinating, and I could unravel their secrets for hours, but there was one other thing that they told me, that would have to be addressed. Fido leered at me from his bed in the corner of the lab.

“I know that face doc, what's the good news?”

“She's stable Fido. Absolutely 100% stable. No chance of a relapse as long as we feed her fresh DNA and electricity.”

“Electricity?”

“Yes, that was the missing element all along; she needed some form of energy to grow properly; she gathered some from mitochondria in fresh DNA we injected, but it wasn't enough. We tried radiation or all kinds, microwaves, other forms of DNA... when the answer was a good old fashioned jolt all along. Ironic, really, considering.”

“How did you figure it out?”

“Well a stroke of luck, actually. You know the body she's inhabiting, right?”

“Yeah. Pretty little thing, all cut up by some super villain or other trying to do the right thing.”

“Well let us give credit where credit is due; Slasher may have killed her with those force field blades of his, but the Knights of Purity helped in every way they could. I may yet send them an anonymous fruit basket.

At any rate, young Sarah Jacobs was an up and coming child superhero, an exemplar energizer as they rate things now. Not sure to what extent exactly, as this was the go go '80s, and testing wasn't formalized. Just like the laws at the time.

Well at any rate, she was able to store electricity, like a battery. She also had another power that no one had known of at the time, because it could only be detected after her death. Her body is simply immune to decay. Some exemplars are resistant to the bacteria and other forces of decay, and that phenomenon is well documented.”

I had to shake the terrible imagery of my childhood away; of my best friend, lying there rotting on the slab while his father and I watched what we had at first mistaken for a form of rot induced ichor drizzle from what was left of his ears.

“Sarah's body, however, released a coating throughout her cells that rejects cellular breakdown utterly. I still don't know how, though I can now replicate it to a certain degree of success. That breakthrough led to my self grafting skin.”

“You're babbling again doc.”

I took a moment to stare down my recalcitrant creation. He looked less than impressed, settling into his well known 'get on with it' pose.

“Right, well, Sarah's body was just lying there, with Mary injected inside. I'd already determined that the many other forms of energy we used hadn't hurt Mary, she was simply inert. So I thought; what was the harm? And tried to see if Sarah's body was still able to store electricity after death. Turns out it was, and that was the type of energy Mary needed to wake up.”

Fido cocked his head.

“Lucky; but how did you know it was working, enough to try it again?”

“The chip inside the body of course; it is built to handle such experiments, and provide data. I knew Mary was growing after the first jolt. After that it was simply a matter of providing another strong jolt every week, as much as the body could handle, and waiting for signs of awareness. I really didn't expect full animation so quickly though; it was quite surprising. Even more so is her mental growth, which seems to be just as rapid.”

I looked again at the chart showing her brain. The bed MRI worked perfectly, even if she moved. After filtering out Gracie, whose inner mysteries were already known to me, it showed a perfect image of Mary's dark brain, shot completely through with the essence of her. A full saturation already, just as I'd suspected.

The brain would have to be the first thing overtaken, after all.

“OK doc, I get all that, but then why roll her into the tower, and hit her with lightning? Why all the fake 'equipment' you ordered and carted up there?”

I snorted at him; didn't he understand anything?

“Because my dear Fido, proper formalities had to be observed. You might as well ask me why the castle at all, like Gracie does!”

Fido blinked, then stared at me in that infuriating way Gracie always does.

“Riiiighht, OK doc, I'll just be over here. You do your thing over there, where I don't have to worry about catching it.”

I replied in as lofty a manner as possible.

“You're a corpse dog, animated with the fruits of my research, Fido. You are already subjected to any crazy I might possess.”

“No need to risk fate. So did you call the geezers?”

Now it was my turn to sigh.

“Yes, I called my 'esteemed colleagues'. With any luck at all the representatives they send will both fall and break their necks getting off the plane tomorrow. They are taking one of the red-eye flights, and are due to arrive here at roughly 2pm. And of course they wish to congratulate – and by congratulate I mean destroy – my success. So you will need to be on your guard tonight. Full patrols, all night, no slacking. Understood?”

“Ya herr commandant. You really suspect them of hurting Mary? Just to be petty?”

“I have successfully, no matter how, breached the veil of death. I beat them at their own game, not once, but three times now. There are some that will not take that well.”

Fido sighed and laid down.

“Pity, she seems like such a nice kid. Too good for the circles we run in.”

I couldn't stop a nod.

“On that, dear Fido, I agree with you. But sacrifices had to be made to see Mary alive, and I do not regret paying any price for them. I just hope she understands, when she finally remembers.”

“If, doc, always an if there. Now shut up and let me get some peace. If I'm going to be patrolling I want some quiet right now.”

I gave a faint smile. Irascible creature, but I knew what he was saying. Take a break, relax. Be with your friend. You've earned the right.