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Grand Obsession, Part 3
(continued from part 1 and part 2)
Sponges.
He could pack Harry with sponges.
The more Ed thought about it, the more advantages leapt into his mind. He could pack the sponges in through a relatively small hole, and then push them into the right places by shaking Harry or squeezing from outside. Then he could simply add blood perhaps an hour before deployment, to allow it to soak in throughout the body. That way the blood wouldn't coagulate or go rancid. He could warm the blood in the microwave before adding it, and that would improve the speed of soaking. Sponges were available in all sorts of colors, shapes, and stiffnesses - and even he, no artist, could easily sculpt sponges into all sorts of bizarre, organ-like shapes. He was pretty sure that there were specialized sponges with relatively smooth surfaces, if he wanted to simulate a liver, although it almost certainly wouldn't be necessary.
Open-cell foam would be another useful component for Harry. And even, perhaps, styrofoam; he could carve it into bone-like shapes, manipulate them into position and surround them with sponges, all without any need for a big hole. Would styrofoam absorb enough blood to look realistic? Perhaps not, but he could easily paint or tint it. And all that could be done days or weeks before Harry made his flight.
He could still throw in real bones, if he wanted, come to think of it. And suddenly Ed chuckled with sheer delight. Why not prepare and seal Harry up completely in advance? With a long-needled hypodermic, he could place hot blood throughout the body while making only small puncture wounds, holes that he could repair in seconds.
It was brilliant.
Ed was considering ways to craft veins and arteries - perhaps unlined ziti and thin tubular pasta, boiled in red food coloring (or should it be blue?) - when his common sense took over. There was no point in getting carried away, after all; he couldn't maintain the illusion of reality for more than perhaps a minute or two of close examination. But that minute should be more than enough to make a very good, very slow driver out of someone, for life.
The sponges...that would really work. And he could cut and shape them into all sorts of organic shapes; some long and stringy, some rounder and lumpy, some even pre-torn for the "accident". If Ed had looked in a mirror at that moment, he wouldn't have recognized himself; he hadn't smiled for months, and now he was grinning like a demon.
The weeks that followed were happy ones. Ed combed the web, looking for unusual sponges. Weekends, he searched stores of all kinds. And his work paid off; at one small regional overstock store, he found styrofoam skeletons left over from Halloween. They broke up into perfect sections that fit through the three-inch circle he'd cut in the sole of Harry's foot, although of course he wasn't able to use the skulls. At an "Everything For A Buck" he found some beautiful sponge-rubber hearts, smooth-surfaced, which could easily be carved into a very respectable imitation of a kidney or liver. A mattress store down the street even sold scraps of various types of foam at incredibly cheap prices - he could have filled up ten Harrys for almost nothing.
Getting a long-needled hypodermic was also surprisingly easy, although he had to wait for two weeks before it arrived in the mail.
And he spent a lot of time experimenting. There were so many things to learn! Which sorts of tools were best for cutting different types of foam - in some cases scissors were acceptable, in others he found that Exacto knives or even straight razor blades worked best. It was important, too, to determine how well different types of foam absorbed and held blood, both on pre-existing surfaces and on newly-cut areas.
Ed even spent some time looking up photos of internal organs. He knew, as he was doing it, that he was going a little overboard; after all, he wasn't likely to catch a doctor speeding down his street. Still, the first time he held up a "kidney", dropping with blood, he felt a definite pride in his handiwork.
The final assembly of Harry was almost an anti-climax. When he finished stuffing in the last sponge and sealed up the foot, he found himself as proud as he imagined a parent must be...but also a little sad. He might do this again (would he? probably), but it would never be quite the same.
The next step, naturally, was clothes for Harry - kids in his neighborhood didn't go around in wizard's robes, after all. The robes (cheap nylon) and glasses (plastic) had been easy to remove, but in order to get new clothes for Harry it had been necessary to wait until he was fully stuffed, so that Ed could get his measurements. Then, with his list of sizes in hand, he went to the local Salvation Army, Goodwill, and finally to Wal-Mart for a few garish logo items.
Clothes were the most expensive part of the project to date. Spurred by a last-minute thought, Ed also bought a plastic kick-ball. It would look much more realistic if Harry were chasing a ball out into the street. Ed was pretty sure that he could kick the ball out while staying out of sight between the cars, and then fling Harry out as if he were trying to make a catch.
It would be beautiful.
Ed dressed Harry that evening. He looked...perfect. There was no way to see how he'd look once blood was added, since Ed was pretty sure that the blood would go bad within a day at most. Still, there was no denying it: Harry looked damned convincing. Oh, he'd still do it at night, but Harry looked realistic enough to pass for real in the day. For five minutes at least, maybe even more.
And now, when to do it? Ed was surprised to find himself a little nervous. Still, there was no reason to delay. Saturday night was guaranteed to have several speeders tearing up and down the street...but maybe the street would be a little too busy that night. Better to pick a quieter night, when there was less chance of pedestrians walking down the street. Friday? Why not?
Very well, then. Friday would be the big night.
Next: The big night. I expect the next section to be the end.
Sponges.
He could pack Harry with sponges.
The more Ed thought about it, the more advantages leapt into his mind. He could pack the sponges in through a relatively small hole, and then push them into the right places by shaking Harry or squeezing from outside. Then he could simply add blood perhaps an hour before deployment, to allow it to soak in throughout the body. That way the blood wouldn't coagulate or go rancid. He could warm the blood in the microwave before adding it, and that would improve the speed of soaking. Sponges were available in all sorts of colors, shapes, and stiffnesses - and even he, no artist, could easily sculpt sponges into all sorts of bizarre, organ-like shapes. He was pretty sure that there were specialized sponges with relatively smooth surfaces, if he wanted to simulate a liver, although it almost certainly wouldn't be necessary.
Open-cell foam would be another useful component for Harry. And even, perhaps, styrofoam; he could carve it into bone-like shapes, manipulate them into position and surround them with sponges, all without any need for a big hole. Would styrofoam absorb enough blood to look realistic? Perhaps not, but he could easily paint or tint it. And all that could be done days or weeks before Harry made his flight.
He could still throw in real bones, if he wanted, come to think of it. And suddenly Ed chuckled with sheer delight. Why not prepare and seal Harry up completely in advance? With a long-needled hypodermic, he could place hot blood throughout the body while making only small puncture wounds, holes that he could repair in seconds.
It was brilliant.
Ed was considering ways to craft veins and arteries - perhaps unlined ziti and thin tubular pasta, boiled in red food coloring (or should it be blue?) - when his common sense took over. There was no point in getting carried away, after all; he couldn't maintain the illusion of reality for more than perhaps a minute or two of close examination. But that minute should be more than enough to make a very good, very slow driver out of someone, for life.
The sponges...that would really work. And he could cut and shape them into all sorts of organic shapes; some long and stringy, some rounder and lumpy, some even pre-torn for the "accident". If Ed had looked in a mirror at that moment, he wouldn't have recognized himself; he hadn't smiled for months, and now he was grinning like a demon.
The weeks that followed were happy ones. Ed combed the web, looking for unusual sponges. Weekends, he searched stores of all kinds. And his work paid off; at one small regional overstock store, he found styrofoam skeletons left over from Halloween. They broke up into perfect sections that fit through the three-inch circle he'd cut in the sole of Harry's foot, although of course he wasn't able to use the skulls. At an "Everything For A Buck" he found some beautiful sponge-rubber hearts, smooth-surfaced, which could easily be carved into a very respectable imitation of a kidney or liver. A mattress store down the street even sold scraps of various types of foam at incredibly cheap prices - he could have filled up ten Harrys for almost nothing.
Getting a long-needled hypodermic was also surprisingly easy, although he had to wait for two weeks before it arrived in the mail.
And he spent a lot of time experimenting. There were so many things to learn! Which sorts of tools were best for cutting different types of foam - in some cases scissors were acceptable, in others he found that Exacto knives or even straight razor blades worked best. It was important, too, to determine how well different types of foam absorbed and held blood, both on pre-existing surfaces and on newly-cut areas.
Ed even spent some time looking up photos of internal organs. He knew, as he was doing it, that he was going a little overboard; after all, he wasn't likely to catch a doctor speeding down his street. Still, the first time he held up a "kidney", dropping with blood, he felt a definite pride in his handiwork.
The final assembly of Harry was almost an anti-climax. When he finished stuffing in the last sponge and sealed up the foot, he found himself as proud as he imagined a parent must be...but also a little sad. He might do this again (would he? probably), but it would never be quite the same.
The next step, naturally, was clothes for Harry - kids in his neighborhood didn't go around in wizard's robes, after all. The robes (cheap nylon) and glasses (plastic) had been easy to remove, but in order to get new clothes for Harry it had been necessary to wait until he was fully stuffed, so that Ed could get his measurements. Then, with his list of sizes in hand, he went to the local Salvation Army, Goodwill, and finally to Wal-Mart for a few garish logo items.
Clothes were the most expensive part of the project to date. Spurred by a last-minute thought, Ed also bought a plastic kick-ball. It would look much more realistic if Harry were chasing a ball out into the street. Ed was pretty sure that he could kick the ball out while staying out of sight between the cars, and then fling Harry out as if he were trying to make a catch.
It would be beautiful.
Ed dressed Harry that evening. He looked...perfect. There was no way to see how he'd look once blood was added, since Ed was pretty sure that the blood would go bad within a day at most. Still, there was no denying it: Harry looked damned convincing. Oh, he'd still do it at night, but Harry looked realistic enough to pass for real in the day. For five minutes at least, maybe even more.
And now, when to do it? Ed was surprised to find himself a little nervous. Still, there was no reason to delay. Saturday night was guaranteed to have several speeders tearing up and down the street...but maybe the street would be a little too busy that night. Better to pick a quieter night, when there was less chance of pedestrians walking down the street. Friday? Why not?
Very well, then. Friday would be the big night.
Next: The big night. I expect the next section to be the end.
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