L’oiseau rare (the odd bird)
They had no idea what he was. He was supposed to have been no more than a handful of stem cells in a petri dish until a first year doctoral student, on a drunken dare at the holiday party, had injected the cluster into a sheep embryo. Then everyone went home, and when they’d come back two weeks later, he was already over a pound, with a beating heart. To make matters worse, two of his genes were from the doctoral student’s nephew, deceased in a car accident three years prior.
Now the FDA wanted him euthanized, but PETA was picketing the lab and the Right to Lifers were suing for custody. He had sprouted wings and gills and survived on a diet of sugar beets; still, he responded to twenty verbal commands and showed early signs of reading comprehension.
The doctoral student’s family sued for custody but lost.
He never was aware of the controversy over his existence.
“L’oiseau rare” is the sixth story of Project 105 — illustrated flash fiction. All 105 hand-embroidered original illustrations of Project 105 are being gifted to individuals who express an interest in art and fiction. Preference is given to first time art owners and to those who might not otherwise have access to art, fiction or both. Each art recipient is also given a free original copy of the story. To learn more about Project 105 or to sign up and become eligible to receive a Project 105 illustration visit www.pmneist.com
