Double Take

Double Take

J. William Spencer approached the waiting area. Glancing at his watch, he saw that he was five-minutes early but Bill Johnson was waiting.

Bill was the stereotypical scientist. Slightly balding, he appeared disheveled in his lab coat that looked like he had slept in it.

“J.W.,” he blurted, “Thanks for coming.” You could sense his air of excitement.

“Good morning to you, too,” J.W. responded.

“We’ve done it! We cracked the secret to…” Bill’s voice trailed off as he looked around. “Not here. Come.”

Grabbing J.W. by the arm, Bill dragged him back into the heart of the building. As the doors closed, Bill continued. “We did it!” he chortled gleefully.

“What have you done?” asked J.W.

“We found a simple, cost effective way to clone!” Bill’s face was flushed with excitement.

“Cloning’s old news,” J.W. replied, feeling disappointed by the revelation.

“Not this way! We’ve found a way to do it without all the high-tech gadgetry and expense. Let me show you.”

Almost skipping, he led J.W. back to an area that smelled more like a barnyard than a laboratory.

“Look,” Bill said pointing to where a large cow was standing. Leading J.W. onwards, he revealed not one but six more identical cows.

With a laugh, J.W. said “OK, you’ve convinced me. I feel like I've been here before…”

“You don’t understand,” Bill interrupted, “these are perfect matches down to the last cell. Think of what that means for food production, medicines, transplants - the list is endless.”

J.W. caught the excitement as the potential sunk in. “This is a goldmine!” he exclaimed. “We need to get a patent on this – and quick!”

Bill smiled. “I’ve already started the paperwork!”

“Is there a special name for the process?” asked J.W. curiously.

“I’m calling it déjà moo!” grinned Bill.

Notes

Word Count: 299 exactly.

An entry for May 21 "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  [13+]
Prompt: Write a story that includes the line "I feel like I've been here before."

Thank you for taking time to read my words. I would appreciate it if you took a moment and left a comment. Your reaction, impressions, criticisms, - yes, even praise are all equally welcome. Please, however, keep the groans to yourself .

Ken