I was labeled as a failed slime experiment.

I was labeled as a failed slime experiment.

Chapter: 1. Back to sleep.

The scene shows a coffee house nestled between a barber shop and a dog grooming business that just so happened to be located on a busy city Street. A trolley quickly passed by the front of the coffee house window as groups of people could be seen walking back and forth along the sidewalk. Inside and sitting at a window booth. were two regular people sitting on opposite sides of a table, while one person was wearing a hoodie that was nearly all the way pulled down. This revealed it to be a very thin male that was most likely in their late thirties. From just over the backside of the seat. Anyone going by could make out the upper half of a logo that resembled a nuclear atom.

His skin was pasty White as his messy hair was a stark contrast of jet black. Without even looking up from his phone and tapping away with his thumb at such a great speed, that it would make one think that the man was born with it in his hands. He started to talk even more to the one that was sitting across from him. The other person turned out to be a heavy-set man in his late twenties. He was wearing a pair of light brown slacks and a black T-shirt. Over that was a blue jacket. His dark brown hair was cut short and partly going towards the left near the front.

The heavier man just sat there with his head lowered while looking straight at a stack of papers that had been triple hole punched and set into a clear see-through binder. The voice of a concerned person could be heard from the thinner man after a couple of seconds of long silence between the two and sparked up a conversation. “Come on. There's no use in crying over it. Yeah-yeah, I know. I'm probably sounding really heartless and all, but listen up. So what if your story idea got rejected again? Just make more alterations and bring it to another editor. and try again. Not like it’s the end of the world.”

The heavier man responded in a dejected tone after hearing the encouragement. “Who am I kidding? *Sigh.* This one already makes nine... Nine you hear me? Maybe I should just give up on this one and come up with some other idea for a book topic.”

“Are you really just going to give up after all that work? Listen up. As your friend, I can say that you're a... Um, ah... semi-decent writer. Sure, not the best, but not the worst either. And yes, your theme has been used quite often in these recent years. All I'm saying is that you need to try and stick to your guns.”

“These guns as you call them aren't good for much else than to type away at a keyboard between odd jobs.”

“Why not try putting some of your works online? Who knows. You just might end up with some patrons? Then you could use that money to ease up on those part-time jobs and get into your writing even more. Improve those skills and resubmit those books.”

“I did, I really did. But it's nowhere near enough to pay the bills. Getting my story published by an editor would fix so many of my problems and I could even go straight into writing full-time. After so long of reading those Fanfictions of My Little Pony, I've been meaning to write one of my own and possibly be made into a real book. Even the names of characters and places were changed so that it would be seen as an original work when compared to my original draft."

“Ah that's right, it's a story about a dream you keep having, right? Who would have thought a guy like you would get hooked on that TV series. If it was me, then I'd have already moved on to something else." The thinner gentleman paused for a second to look closely at his phone and produced a big grin. "Huh? Did this? Oh sweet, it sold! How much? YES! I was wondering how long that would stay on the market. Ca-ching baby! Oops sorry, you're saying?"

The one complaining practically sank into his seat. “I'm not some guru like you that could buy and sell just about anything under the sun to make some extra cash. Ok, what was it this time anyhow? Found a key to a treasure vault or was it another rusted up World War relic? Wait wait, I know. Some old lady was going to throw out some costume jewelry and you found that they were real."

“It's strictly skill man, nothing but skill. It was just some old knick-knack box. No one knows just what they got and sell the thing for dirt cheap without taking the time to do any research.”

“Yeah, OK. You've always been that way ever since back in our school days. First it was trading toys and then lunches. Now you're collecting antiques at dirt cheap prices and selling them at a way higher bid to those that are always searching for them. I swear you make more than I do in a month in just a couple of hours when you’re on that phone.”

The thin man who was still on his phone, began to reach into a pocket and soon pulled out a small keychain and placed it on to the center of the table. When the hand was removed. It showed a bronze link of chain connected to a loop on one end. The other had a marble with something placed at the center of the material. The man then said the next bit as he resumed his work on his phone. “Oh, I nearly forgot. I was just going to wait till next week, but I thought that now would be a good time as I need to give you your birthday gift anyways. Your always too busy and the days we can get together and talk are way too rare.”

The heavy-set man picked up the keychain and began to examine it. On inspection once it was brought closer to his right eye. It was soon discovered that a carving of a generic style slime was in the center of a green marble thanks to laser carving technology. He then spoke with clear shock evident in his voice. “This is so awesome! It looks just like my character. Where did this even-.”

“Ha! Don't sweat it man. I just happen to have someone who knows a guy, that knows another guy, that just so happens to be an acquaintance to another person who knows another person that goes to a laundromat who owes me a couple of favors and asked if they could whip this up. Just think of it as a good luck charm.”

“Really?! Wow! I’ve got no idea why it is you even stick around me.”

“Dude! Is that really how you say thanks? If it's going to be like that, then I'll just-.” He was just about to make the motion to reach back and take it when he was interrupted.

“Whoa, no! That's not what I meant! It's just... you could be going out and can do just anything you want and I'm just a loser that has nothing going for him.”

“Okay don't get all mushy on me now... yuck! Honestly, I don't care what you do with your reputation, but I don't want the ladies thinking that I’m into dudes.”

“Oh we're on that again, huh?”

“Geez, just take it easy already. I'm just worried that you're not going to get around that much and start looking for a girlfriend. There’s been some rumors going around that you’re not interested in girls because of that.”

“For crying out loud... Ok, look here! Sure I'm still attracted to girls, but I'm just not comfortable enough to feel safe with 'em, that's all. Just look at me. I'm fat, I got no stable job. My looks aren't really all that great even on my best days. I'm living in a rundown apartment with no car to get around and barely any savings. No way any of that is going to help my chances with the ladies. Besides... we both know how modern women are these days. I'm better off being by myself. And I'm sure you don't want me to go into another rant about all the negative pitfalls of being in a relationship or getting married to any of ‘em Heck, the marriage paper if a contract they can break at their digression and run away with you money. Remember when I tried to help some lady that dropped a can in the parking lot?"

"Yeah?"

“Just finished up doing some grocery shopping and was crossing the parking lot so I can get to a bus stop to head on home. Some lady somewhere around her mid-twenties I think with an infant child was putting groceries away. The asphalt had this slight slant and a can of soup fell out and started to roll away and right up to me. I must have been more than six or seven cars away in the row when I picked it up and politely called to let her know that she dropped something. Next thing I know she’s turned around sharply to look at me for just a second and begins to scream at the top of her lungs that I needed to stay away from her and not approach women in the parking lot. I couldn't believe that something I saw on YouTube was actually happening to me. It ended up with me putting the can down and practically walking around the whole parking lot to stay clear from the lady."

“Okay fine I get it. Must have been watching a lot of those videos again about why it's so bad to marry or just date a girl in our country. Even a couple of buddies that I've known for years have turned into Passport Bros so I can kind of understand. Still... giving up on them completely might not be a good idea. Anyhow, let's change the subject back. What's your plans tonight?”

“Oh uh, I think I'll probably go to sleep early.”

“I see. You're hoping to get more ideas again, huh?”

“Ha-ha! Yep, easy to see that you’ve got me figured out. Going to check my emails and then probably watch this week's new set of anime’s that were released earlier today for around an hour and then head to bed for an early morning."

“Yeah, I understand. You been working around sixty hours this week on top of using a lot of your free time on that story. If you were me then I wouldn't even be here. My face would be very intimate with the pillow on my own bed and lost in Dreamland."

The large man glanced over at the round clock near the door leading outside. “Well, I think I'll be going now. Had no idea on how it happened, but it’s starting to get really late. Tell your mom I said hi. Oh, and thanks for letting me take home some of the extra lasagna the other day. Just promise me that you will look away from that phone while you're walking home, OK?”

The thin man blew a quick raspberry as he responded to that quip. “I can walk home just fine, thank you very much! And besides it wasn’t even that close, still had a good half a foot before I got clipped by that cab last week."

This ended their conversation as the heavier man got up and started to walk away from the table and towards the exit. Upon being greeted with the outside world filled with rushing cars and even more rushing groups of people going back and forth along the streets. The heavy-set man walked through the busy city with both hands tucked into his pockets. When he had left the coffee shop. The sky was just barely turning into a shade of orange as it was approaching night time. More than once the man witnessed one act of cruelty after another. Fender benders and arguments leading up to fist fights and muggings on practically every street corner.

Even the common sight of seeing what he thought to be a husband getting kicked out of his own apartment and having his things thrown out of a window four flights up barely phased him. Another scene showed a woman slapping a man repeatedly while surrounded by a group of other females cheering the girl on. All the while he was just thinking that the guy had to deal with it and not retaliate. Especially since everyone seems to believe a woman's testimony far more than a man's. Heck, even the same crime gets a far less punishment for the opposite sex.

Even with it being called self-defense, the guy would get thrown into jail without a moment's notice and all the girls around him knew it. This only caused him to have a sour expression with the knowledge of how one-sided the laws were in favor of that group going against that one man and knew that he could do nothing about it to help the guy's situation and just continued walking away before he was dragged in for one reason or another. A thought flashed through his head about using his old flip phone to take a video and hopes that it might aid later on. Unfortunately, it dawned on him that it was half broken and the camera was not working. Even still, felt a strong sense of self-loathing at his cowardice and walked away.

Afterwards he stopped in front of a cheap apartment building. The sun had long since vanished and many of the street lamps were already turned on. Walls filled with various types of overlapping graffiti could be seen all around as the nightlife sounds took over when the last of the still functioning lamps flickered to life. Many of the windows in nearby building soon followed with how they randomly switched on their own lights in response to the fading sun. And as if on cue, the sound of ceramic and glass shattering could be heard just before a girl's voice screamed in pure anger with a language that he did not know. All the while thinking, there they go again and how sorry he felt for the poor guy who chose to married her.

Soon the argument was overshadowed thanks to screeching cars and distant yelling that could be heard in the distance. There were even a few distinctive sounds that presumably came from shots being fired by guns less than a couple of miles away. Once inside the lobby. The heavy-set man released a sigh of relief after entering a relatively safe area when compared to the outside world. The entrance was small and allowed enough space for a few people to stand in front of a one-person desk facing the door. Said desk had a reinforced glass protection in front and only allowed a small area at the bottom to allow paperwork and small handheld items to be passed through.

On the dirty and absurdly smudged window, where a number of notices that were put on for the residents to read as they were coming and going through the lobby. One of which was made using a thick red marker to remind the tenants that they had to pay by the first of the month. The man just slumped his shoulders as he gazed upon the notice with an almost dead look within his eyes. Afterwards, he turned to the right to try and use the elevator but found that it was out of order. There was even a big sign that was taped onto the faded and obviously not cleaned for quite some time sliding doors.

Without much of a choice. He went to use the stairway and climb them to the third floor. Once out of the stairwell, the man walked halfway down the hallway and stopped at a door with yet another piece of paper that was identical to the one on the first floor. This one however was placed right over the peephole. Well, aside from the doors that he knew only had a woman living behind it. This brought up thoughts on the landlady who changed after her late husband died just a little over a year back.

Even with the building being as old as it was. The old landlord always kept on its upkeep and made sure that everything worked. Times were tough and money was being set aside to do a number of renovations. Believe it or not, but he passed away and the money ended up being put towards his family and friends from what his wife mentioned. This led to the dire situation of most of the facilities crumbling apart. Only those that were on her good side were placed high up on her list and got better treatment. It took almost no time at all to see just where her priorities laid when she only helped the rooms that did not have a man inside.

To make matters worse the number of couples dropped drastically as the girls kicked their boyfriends and husbands out for one ridiculous reason after another. One tenant made an attempt to expose the land lady’s unfair treatment towards the opposite gender but ended up getting injured and moving away due to a unforeseen accident. Since then, nobody’s made any actions out of fear that they would end up in the same state. Even if it was not official, there were some talks among the guys that they were getting charged more for rent and this led to even more guys leaving the apartment building over time.

Once a man was taken out of his apartment by some police officers after his wife called the cops and said that he was beating her after she found out he was cheating. Even with not being present at the time. It was a rumor that felt more of a fact amongst the guys that the whole thing was set up because the girl he was supposedly cheating with was on the same floor and both girls were friends with one another. What made it more obvious was how only the guy was sued while the girls kept in touch and pretended nothing ever happened.

After taking it down to read. The man slumped forward and pressed his head against the door as he absent-mindedly pulled out his keys and entered after unlocking the two sets of deadbolts. Once inside and the door was secured thanks to the normal lock, deadbolts and the chain even higher than that. He turned around and began to go towards the kitchen in his one-bedroom apartment that felt a little too cramped for his body size. Especially since he could easily take a running jump from the door and almost reach the other end of his apartment in just one go. This was only due to the weird way the building was constructed so that one side had much smaller apartments so that single tenants could use them, while larger ones were given to couples and families on the other side of the hall.

The place was almost spartan as only a few pieces of furniture could be glimpsed as he went from the door to the small kitchen area. The carpeted floor saw better days as dirty spots could be seen even after a number of attempts were done to remove the stains from the previous tenants on his part. The walls themselves were in desperate need of a new coat of paint as hairline cracks could be seen in the dry wall where the building was creaking from the many small tremors being created by the nearby subway system that ran directly underneath the building.

There was just a single armchair that had seen better days. A tiny table with a television set that he had gotten from some old couple during their yard sale. A DVD player that was easily on its last leg as the lights would barely turn on for the buttons. Even a stack of maybe seven or eight DVD’s. As for the dining table. It was barely big enough for two people to use. However, this was not much of a problem as only a single chair was nearby. No posters or even a single picture frame was put up anywhere to be seen. Although, in the corner and covered with just was a black rectangular case and shaped vaguely into a coffin with a single black handle on one side. Next to even that was a vinyl record of two with a saxophone on the cover.

The only window even afforded for the apartment, was barely big enough for him to even fit through and it was near the kitchen as it faced a brick wall from the next building over. Although there was a small potted plant that could really use some more sunlight as it was already sagging. If one was to stick their head outside. They would be met with the other building that was easily within arm’s reach. The only time any real sunlight would even make it to the kitchen was at high noon. And that would only last for less than fifteen minutes.

After getting into the kitchen. The man pulled out what little leftovers of the lasagna his friend's mother let him have and warmed it up inside of a microwave that made more than a few questionable sounds, along with a zap or two of lights that were not meant to occur. Once it was sufficiently warmed up. He went over to the dining table and began to slowly eat. Next to his plate was his story and a clipboard with what appeared to be a schedule written down. While absent-mindedly putting a small fork of food into his mouth and carefully savoring the taste of something that was not instantly made. The heavy-set man soon began to talk to himself as his other hand held onto a pencil and tapped on to the clipboard in a rhythmic pattern.

“*Sigh* Let's see... tomorrow's Thursday. So, I'm on duty in the morning for trash pickup. Then I'll need to get my fat ass to the other side of town for my shift at the movers. Well, I guess I'm not getting too much sleep tomorrow. The day after that, I got seven in the morning at The Hobby Shop to help with reorganizing the back. Then one in the afternoon for Gibbs Burger Hut until nine at night. That's barely going to give me enough time to catch the train. Maybe I could talk with Jim or Molly about switching our schedules. Jim might do it but I doubt she will. Probably has another concert to go to again. She's been on that high horse of hers ever since she started to sleep with the boss who turned out to be a lesbian.” He released another heavy sigh as he started to roll his neck around before continuing.

"Getting free food at the end of the day is keeping me alive, but it's not doing any favors for my weight. I hate having so many part-time jobs... it's another job on its own just to keep everything straight. Long hours aren't bad either, it's just going back and forth is the problem. Why did I have to be so stubborn? We got to meet up after a while. Should have just asked if his offer to help was still on the table.” He then released a very long yawn and decided to finish up his food and rinse it out in the sink so that it could be washed later on. Once that was finished and he double checked his schedule for the following day. The bedroom was the next destination.

Inside, was a short desk with a tower computer system that must have used components that have clearly been jerry-rigged together thanks to a number of them being spliced from one piece to the next along the connectors. There was even a single mattress laying on the floor with some coverings and a couple of pillows next to an itchy looking blanket. Upon turning the system on and logging on to the internet. Which was only possible thanks to his next-door neighbor and allowing him some Wi-Fi access for a couple of dollars a month. The only problem with that was how stingy the person could get and would always turn it off when it got late.

That was when he took a moment to take the keychain out of his pocket to look at it a little more before placing it onto the table where he was sure to find it again when he got up for work in the morning. With the soft light given off by the computer monitor. The marble gave off a strangely alluring green reflection as it was twirled between his fingers to cause it to slowly rotate. He was never much of a material possession person and did not like the notion of getting money as a birthday gift. Expensive items were clearly off the table and he and his friend both had a mutual understanding with just giving each other small things that they thought seemed cool once in a while.

Soon E-mails were checked, which showed nothing to come in to his inbox except for past rejection letters. He then went on to a site that allowed him to watch some uploaded cartoon and anime shows and spent the next half hour watching the newest episode being aired for one of the anime’s shown for that season's lineup and then taking several minutes to watch a random 'how to' video. Afterwards, he just climbed straight into bed while muttering that he would change into his other clothes after showering in the morning and fell straight to sleep as he was still wearing his clothes from that very day. Although this was not going to be too much of a problem as his uniform from the waste disposal company was hanged up near the door to be snatched up at a moment’s notice.

As the man was sleeping and falling into the deeper recesses of his mind after a tiring day. There was the familiar sensation of a bright light creeping past his closed eyelids as his senses return from a muddled state. While attempting to roll over and get away from the light source. He could feel that his body was not normal as the motion continued and carried on to where he was not stopping. Without any warning, a hard and flat surface collided with his face. This was also accompanied by a single thud and a weak wet splattering sound. This drew a muffled grunt from the man as he was now going in the opposite direction, yet came to a stop at less than half of what he was rolling with before.

While letting out a defeated groan of annoyance. He angrily spoke out as his eyelids began to open to take in his surroundings. “Uuh... Did I leave the lights on again? Err, that's just great. There goes a chunk of my savings on the electricity again. Huh-what?! T-This isn't my room!” There was a stretch of silence before he spoke again in a tone that just said that he was beginning to understand and was just resigning himself. "Oh okay. I'm having another dream and I'm stuck in that place again. How many times do I have to go through this part? Can't my subconscious be even a little more creative than this? At least show some new content. Hmm, I may as well see what's going on now.”

From his point of view. The world was behind a layer of glass that was only a few inches away from his face. Beyond that was a stone lined room filled with many objects on bulky wooden tables. There are even a couple of wide shelves filled with thick books and knick-knacks that looked ordinary, while others give off a strange glow. These would comprise of small figurines and bobbles that were obviously handmade by some eccentric artists due to their strange designs. A majority of them took on figures of different creatures found in fantasy board games, but with a great deal more effort on the part of making them appear almost lifelike.

Aside from the creature figurines. They were glass orbs that would give off a neon green or pink glow as the glassy surface was coiled around with either metal talons or tentacles. The books themselves would be worn out and held barely any coloring to them. As a result, most were brown or black. The titles printed onto the bindings were barely legible as the markings took on strange symbols. With half being squiggles, the others took rudimentary shapes that vaguely resembled common objects such as trees, houses, mountains, fire, water and the such.

The tables however were covered with not only tall stacks of books that threatened to fall over with how badly they were placed on top of one another, but many strange objects that resembled the medieval doctor tools were visible. Even vials and tubes were thrown in to create an overly complicated network of distilling equipment. Most were empty. While in larger glass containers equipped with nozzle controls all held onto the viscous fluids that would range from almost clearly see through gray and all the way to a murky green substance. These could easily be confused for sludge from someone's clogged up bathroom sink after drinking way too much and having no choice but to puke.

No windows of any sort lined any of the four walls. From the wooden ceiling hung a number of lanterns that were giving off a faint glow from the tiny candles housed within. After taking a good look around to notice all of this and not see anyone else nearby. His attention was brought to the door. Sure, it may have looked like any old wooden door that could be found with a metal latch to keep it shut. Yet there were a number of carvings etched into the framework that popped out as being of the similar wording system like those on the books in the shelves. After giving it another once-over. The man's eyes shifted to look down at where he was.

First came the bottom of the piece of glass less than a few inches away. Then a stone line surface could be seen from a flat piece of rock that was just barely wide enough to be one of those stones meant to cook pizzas on. Off to either side were also other random pieces of assorted rocks and foliage that comprised of plants and green moss. From a rough estimation, it was a glass container that took on a rectangular shape on its side and could easily hold close to fifteen or twenty gallons of water. This was undoubtedly an aquarium meant for a small animal to live in.

When he was done with assessing his current position. His attention was brought to himself. Instead of seeing his large body clothed in the outfit he was wearing while going to sleep. All that could be seen was a green mass with a couple of suspended bubbles that was almost see through. After taking a better look at the glass to use the reflection. He was able to change his perspective to show just what he was inside of a container. Indeed, it was a reptile themed environment and the only occupant held within was a lime green colored slime. His body lacked absolutely anything as not even a set of eyes were visible. In fact, there were no visible distinguishing marks aside from it being a gelatinous mass that was roughly around thirty ounces in total.

This was followed with him giving out a girly shriek. “Kheeeyaaaah!!! Shit! *Huff.* N-Nearly gave myself a heart attack! Phew. Nothing to worry over. Wow... this is way more realistic.” He got a little closer to the glass to focus the reflection. Almost in the same way a person would turn their head to get a good look at their own reflection in the bathroom, the slime was twisting itself just a little bit to the left and eventually to the right. As he was doing this, he began to think of how often he would always give himself a jump scare whenever this dream occurred.

Soon he calmed down and started to think more rationally. "Hmm. With this much detail I'm really interested now as to what I'm going to get tonight." And starting from that point, he waited patiently in the tank and kept a lookout for any movement to memorize intently for extra details he might have missed to add onto his newest edit.