Mind Control

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words: Hamster, Apple and Purple

Mind Control

Leonard stared intently at the hamster; willing it to not be hungry.

You are the fullest hamster ever, he sent over and over.

The rodent looked over at the man tied to the chair. Then, in an act of defiance, it turned and took another big bite of the apple wedged between the bars of its cage. It shifted to face Leonard again, its jaws working hard on the morsel.

“Come now, Leonard, you can do better than that.”

Leonard looked at the man on the other side of the window. He could see Dr. Maltase leaning over the microphone; a sinister expression on his face. It was hard to tell if he wanted Leonard to succeed or fail. Either outcome would probably be perversely satisfying.

He tried, for the millionth time, to see if he could get his hands free. It was no use. They were tied so tightly to the chair’s arms that his fingers were purple. This was definitely the last time he’d answer an ad for anything that mentioned the words “test” and “subject.”

“Leonard, it’s just a dumb animal. Use your brain my boy. There’s not much time left.”

He didn’t need to be told. That had to be the hungriest hamster ever. It took a bite about every ten seconds. After it ate enough of the apple, the fruit would fall from the cage. It would land on a pad that would cause a gun’s trigger to be pulled and that would be the end of that.

Small mind or not, the hamster’s will was too strong.

Desperate, Leonard shifted his focus.

The doctor’s sneer changed to surprise when the gun began to elevate and turn towards him. His expression changed to fear when the door to the room he was in locked itself.

Word count 300