Invisible Success

The harsh fragrance of chemicals smothered the air in the room, noxious to anyone not wearing a ventilator’s mask. Anthony hid every inch of his skin to avoid contamination. With his gloved thumb and index finger, he pinched a small mouse from the ventilated cage. His eyes safe behind goggles, he studied the small, white body.

“Buddy, hopefully, you and I are about to break science but just in case, I’m ready.” He waved the mouse towards the bowl of salt water. “If anything goes wrong, I can neutralize it.”

He transferred the subject to a set of tongs and submerged it in a glass container of fluid. For a moment, it appeared as a soaked mouse. Spots faded out of sight. Even though the creature was no longer visible, Anthony still felt it clasped between the tongs.

“Holy shit, it worked!” Childhood sci-fi movies where invisibility fueled insanity concerned him. “No human trials, yet. I’m gonna put you back in your cage. I’ll monitor you through the feed tonight. We’ll see if you go crazy and how long this lasts.”

The mouse didn’t say anything but he could feel its struggles.

Anthony wasn’t supposed to have access to the security system but he’d long ago hacked it to ensure he could do his experiments in private. When he sat later to eat his dinner in front of his computer, he realized why he needed such coverage.

The mouse had broken out of the containment and destroyed the lab. The path of destruction showed the mouse grew with every passing moment. By the time it burst out of the wall, it was the size of an invisible pony.

With white knuckles, Anthony deleted any footage of him in the lab. What giant, angry, invisible mouse? He didn’t know nothing.


This is an entry for

Daily Flash Fiction Challenge  (13+) Enter your story of 300 words or less. #896794 by Arakun the Twisted Raccoon