Dragonfruit seeds

Test subject 105 shivered in the cold air of their home, the stark white walls were glaring under harsh fluorescent lighting and stung their eyes.

It was cold today, it normally did not get so cold in their home - at least not cold enough that even their thick fur wasn’t enough to keep it at bay, they shivered and hoped soon the handlers would sort the problem

Or maybe they wouldn’t?

Maybe this was another punishment? But what for 105 didn’t know, they had not done anything wrong the last time the handlers had brought them out? They did everything required

Maybe, maybe 105 had not been up to standard and this was the punishment for not meeting the goal?

105 curled in closer to themselves, whimpering quietly - they would have to try harder next time then to please the handlers.

105 stared at their claws, tiny and feeble things - they were too small, they weren’t tall like the handlers, maybe that’s why they kept failing the expectations

But they would grow! They would get bigger! That would show the handlers! And then they would not be punished! Maybe, maybe they would be rewarded!

Maybe they would get extra food, or, or maybe they would get a larger home! That would be nice, one with not white walls and maybe, maybe a soft thing to lie on, rather than the cold white floor

They would just need to show the handlers they could do it! They just needed to be bigger first!

But 105 didn’t know how to be bigger, didn’t know how to grow faster - shifting a little had pleased them last time, but they couldn’t shift more and so far it barely made them taller.

They were stuck being small for now

And that meant they were stuck in the cold, with the white walls and the white floor and the blinding lights.

105 huddled into itself more and did their best to stifle the cries as tears gathered in their eyes (and they were an it or a they, the handlers called them that when they didn’t call them ‘subject’ and ‘105’).

They couldn’t cry in the cold, it would just make their face colder and maybe freeze! One of the handlers had said their face could get stuck wrong if they left it in one expression! This has horrified 105, for they did not want their face stuck! How would they eat then?

105 didn’t want to be in the cold either, but the handlers must have decided that 105 didn’t deserve warmth tonight, for they had displeased them and 105 was ashamed,

They would do better next time! The handlers had even said so, said they were meant for great deeds, though 105 did not know what they meant by that.

What were deeds? What was great about them?

105 did not know but then the Handlers were always very confusing to 105 who didn’t know what they knew because the handlers were wise for they knew many things!

Sometimes the nicer handlers might tell them things - often they left 105 half confused but they liked to listen, it was better than the silence of home with no one but the walls and the lights.

One had told 105 a story about a place called ‘surface’, 105 liked that story even if it confused them when the kind handler had spoken of things like ‘sky’ and ‘earth’ and ‘trees’ - talked about things that roamed ‘freely’ called ‘animals’ 

105 often tried to imagine these things to the best they could, but they didn’t know what they were what a ‘phoolzo’ might be but it sounded similar to ‘Phuzo’ so were they the same? 105 wasn’t sure.

105 didn’t know what ‘freely’ meant either but it sounded nice to say, but it made their Handlers frown - most times 105 spoke when not asked did - but these frowns were much more frownier? And 105 did not speak of it near them Anymore

They did not want to anger the handlers, the handlers would keep the cold on otherwise and 105 did not like the cold.

Quietly 105 rocked themselves slowly in their corner, huddled as tight to be as warm as they could - trying to sleep, fitfully and eventually they did

105 slept and dreamt of an imagined world, with ‘sky’ and ‘animals’ that would show them what ‘freely’ meant.