Okay, this was amusing, especially with the line from Puppy Tails, but when you got to 'Yes, yes my precious' I cracked up laughing. Yes, right here in the library. Then I started to choke. I'm fine, now back to the story.
I had the librarian look up alembic for me. Got the picture, from Arabic.
You fit a lot in those parenthesis, including a duck and a bra?

The duck released a startled QUACK and opened his wings to take off, but the jumpy scientist was too fast; in a flash, he had one fist around the net, having trapped the squirming, flapping duck.---Since this is action, you might want to consider breaking it into three sentences. just a thought.

Where'd the shadow come from. Is it in the glass container? You lost me there.
You gave a great twist to the ending, back and forward all in the same few seconds. Amazing. I'm still grinning.
Thanks for sharing.
love, LinnAnn