Chapter 17
Puddleby on the Marsh was an old town that kept its rustic appeal and pastoral splendour, but to Gregor Samsa it brought frustration. Communication was attempted between him and the top hatted figure who stood on the outskirts of his animal sanctuary.
Ever since Gregor became a bug, he could not vocalise any words in English, Czech, German or any other human language. He could only use gestures to talk, but they were awkward and open to ill interpretation.
Here was a man who had mastered five hundred animal languages and treated all creatures with a great deal of understanding. However Doctor John Dolittle was at a loss when he met Gregor Samsa. He had tried many forms of insect communication: cockroach, preying mantis, cricket, locust and several dialects of beetle; neither meant a thing to the man insect. The doctor attempted to teach him beetle language, which included wing flapping, rubbing one leg with another, abdominal pulsating, antennae movements and oral sounds, but these did not take. Gregor found them ridiculous and useless; he wanted to talk to people. If Dr. Dolittle could not understand him then no-one could.
Gregor lowered his antennae in despair. The doctor had apparently achieved longevity after his trip to the moon, but seemed to accept the futility of achieving communication with Gregor other than with the tongue of wretched humans.
Dolittle signaled to a pint sized bear that seemed to walk comfortably on his hind legs much like a human boy. The similarity didn't stop there; this ursine infant wore yellow checked trousers and matching scarf with a red jumper. He talked English with the doctor mixing in a few words in the bruin tongue.
"I cannot help him Rupert." Dolittle said to white furred boy. "You must take him to the other doctor."
Rupert motioned Gregor to follow him. Dr. Dolittle tipped his hat then returned to his duties. All animals in the sanctuary let out a cacophony of noise: pigs squealed; cows mooed; donkeys brayed; horses whinnied; a parrot squawked and other beasts vocalised their feelings. Gregor did not understand what was actually vocalized by this faunal choir, but read a note of "good riddance you abomination" from each participant.
As he followed the little boy bear into the forest, Gregor expected to be overcome with either bitterness or misery; but what flooded his mind was fear. The man insect was frightened of never really being welcome or accepted. Dr. Dolittles rejection brought out an abundance of it; Gregor's hopes lay with this other doctor.
A clearing in the woods was the site of a remote cabin. Rupert knocked on the side to summon the inhabitant. Gregor sensed multiple presences around him though for some reason he could not see them. This trip had made him tunnel visioned.
A lab coated figure stepped out of the cabin, he was old and grey with command over all creatures in the area. Gregor knew then that this was Dr. Alphonse Moreau.
"Thank you, Rupert." He said. "This is a challenging patient you brought me.
"You must be the Sayer of the Law now Rupert. What is the Law?"
Rupert turned to Gregor and said. "Nobody shall shed blood. Nobody will kill."
Moreau and Rupert must have been informed as to his wartime exploits Gregor surmised; he could not justify them then, he could not speak.
"What happens to those who break the Law Rupert?" Asked Moreau.
"They go to the House of Pain."
Gregor was seized by the multiple presences around him, now he could see them; they were misshapen humanoids, compositions of human and various animals, all the results of Dr. Moreau's bizarre surgery. The giant bug should have been able to shake them off and fly away, but he felt strangely weak. They forced him into the cabin while Moreau put on an apron that was already bloodied. Gregor was placed on a slab and strapped down with his exposed abdomen facing upwards. Each limb was securely tethered and his elytra remained sutured.
On the cabin shelves were large preserving jars containing either removed inner organs or animal fetuses. Dissection charts and diagrams were pinned up on the wall. The fear Gregor felt was now retranslated and amplified; his struggles were futile he was bound and helpless with a cold scientist about to vivisect him; a fear he had ever since his metamorphoses.
A look to the side revealed a second operating slab; its unconscious occupant seemed to be a dwarf tiger with each paw bandaged and his long tail split open. Rupert demonstrated a rubbery organic substance sitting on the slab.
"This is going into his tail." Said Rupert. "He's going to be a very bouncy fellow."
Dr. Moreau ushered the boy bear out of the cabin along with the twisted creations. The vivisectionist was free to do his work now; he uncovered a tray of surgical instruments and picked up a scalpel. There was no offer of, or apparent intention towards anathstesia. This was the House of Pain.
"Let's see what's inside you." Said Moreau as he brought the scalpel to the upper abdominal ring.
Gregor desperately threshed about in abject terror. The sound of a window opening turned his attention he was then in darkness. The window was all he could see, he was unbound, alone and standing with heavy fear still crushing him. Gregor retracted his head into his exoskeleton then jumped up and crashed through the roof.
The daylight and fresh air were welcome, he didn't wait to hit the ground; still airborne he opened his elytra and spread his wings. His muscles were strong again and his vision wide as per normal. Fear made him want to be somewhere else, Gregor flew high above the forest canopy on a random course.