Buried Treasure

The words rolling across the window disappeared, replaced by the picture of an immense building of glass and metal. A male voice began to speak.

“Welcome to Sentinel Industries, where imagination is only the beginning! Here at Sentinel, we work tirelessly day and night to bring you the very best in everything from food to medicine, and even pets!”

Images of strange creatures were shown within the window. Standing on two legs, hairless save for their heads, most of them wearing bright white coats. The image changed to show cats and dogs being picked up by the strange creatures, handed to smaller ones.

“Yes, we here at Sentinel care about you, and your family! But don’t just listen to me! Here’s Dr. Robinson, head of genetic research.”

The window changed yet again to show another of the strange creatures. He seemed pale compared to the others. The hair upon his head was dark brown, and he wore odd glasses on his face.

“By modifying the genetic code of ordinary animals, combining it with human and primate DNA, we have begun to create a new kind of animal unlike anything the world has seen before.”

The image changed to show various creatures. Some I recognized, others were foreign to me. But in the center of the image was something that made my blood run cold. A pony.

But not quite. Something about it was off. The eyes lacked intelligence, as if it had no mind. Before I could speak, the voice continued.

“We have tested our process on a variety of animals, but the one that showed the most promise was the common pony. We have yet to fully understand why, but it seems to be the most receptive to the gene therapy.”

Another image of the pony appeared in the window, this time alone.

“After months of testing, this simple animal showed an amazing jump in intellect. We have been able to teach it to use tools, and it appears to understand our speech.”

The image changed yet again, showing the pony moving small blocks around the floor of its room, arranging them in piles.

“We are confident that within the next year we will have the capability to mass produce these creatures, making them easily available to you, our valued customer.”

The window went dark for a moment before the flow of strange text resumed its path.

I couldn’t speak. Gene therapy? Customers? Was this it the truth??

I tried to rationalize what I had seen, tried to believe that it was all some sort of a trick. A prank the others were pulling on me.

But what I had seen couldn’t possibly have been a trick. It was the truth. The answer I’d been seeking for so long. And now that I’d found it, I no longer wanted it.

There is a beginning to every story, and I’d found ours. We were created, bred, modified. We were playthings for a species long gone now. We were toys.

I must have sat there in that strange room for hours, the dull hum fading into the background as my thoughts consumed me. Do I tell the others? How would they react to this knowledge?

Eventually, I stood up and walked back to the panel that had brought me here. As I stepped onto it, the disembodied female voice bid me farewell. A flash of light. The panel descended from the silver cube, bringing me with it.

I had been gone for nearly a day. The others asked me where I had been, what I had seen, but I gave no answer. I lied, saying I had no recollection. I walked slowly back to the surface and stared at the gleaming cube lying before me. It no longer seems so beautiful. My reflection in its surface seemed false.

I called for it to be covered again, and though the others thought me mad, the look in my eyes was enough to convince them.

I will never breathe a word of what I witnessed that day. I made it perfectly clear that the artifact was not to be disturbed again, and left the museum’s employ. I think I would prefer something less… exploratory with which to finish out my days now.

I no longer need to seek for answers. I have tasted the truth, and it is a bitter fruit.