Penny For Her Thoughts

Hodriges visits the rural village of Yormington, Oklahoma. There lives an isolated scientist named Penelope Gulfrich who works in a chemistry lab in the basement of her shack.

In western Oklahoma, there’s a rural village they call Yormington. Despite the lack of technological advancement, the townspeople are quite lively. Most people join the daily market in the central area by the church and visit with each other often. If you asked any random townsperson, they likely have never heard of Penelope Gulfrich.

Penelope lived alone in her shack on the outskirts of town and never left. It wasn’t a secret that the resident of the house never left the house, and it wasn’t necessarily a secret that Penelope had a chemistry lab underground. She would have told people about it, if anyone ever asked.

The last time Penelope met a person was back when she attended school. In third grade, a girl named Lilly asked if they could be best friends. Penelope wanted to say yes, but she just didn’t like people. She panicked and promptly pulled herself out of school and has been living in her isolated shack ever since. Lilly was offended at first, but found new friends a few days later. At least once she finished therapy, she was fine. She lived a happy life with her wife Jean and adopted a little rascal from the neighbors.

Lilly never knew about Penelope’s shack or her chemistry lab. Penelope spend most of her time in her lab and only left to go upstairs into the shack to eat or sleep. She wasn’t depressed or lonely, she just really liked science and didn’t need or want a partner. She did find enjoyment in dissecting the rats that occasionally scampered through the wall and all seemed to die not long after. She found tumors in every single rat and was inspired to find a cure.

She tried mixtures and compounds on the rats when they came in, but some of them seemed to die even faster. She had been working for 14 years on these tumors before she did find a cure. When she gave the next rat her newest chemical compound, it lasted longer than the rest. Seeing as this rat was not going to die of cancer, Penelope feared a rat infestation if it were able to reproduce. So, she killed it with one of her knives.

She immediately began to add this latest entry to her research paper and present her cure to the world. The problem is that she would have to interact with people again. She finished the paper and promised herself as she went to bed in her shack that she would publish it tomorrow and not be afraid.

She woke up with newfound confidence at 6:58 and didn’t bother changing out of her feety pajamas. She was so excited to publish the paper that she started towards the basement. As she reached for the door, she felt a chilly wing across her neck and a second later, extreme pain. She turned to find Hodriges behind her and grabbed at his stumpy legs. Hodriges dodged her grasp and slapped her again, this time on her left temple. Unable to retaliate, Penelope ripped the door open and darted down the stairs. Badly injured, Penelope tripped halfway down and hit the floor a few seconds later with a thud.

Penelope needed medical attention to survive, but nobody in Yormington knew she lived there and she could not get back on her feet. Penelope passed away a few hours later. Seven weeks later, a tornado devastated the village and the chemistry lab was completely destroyed, with Penelope inside.

Hodriges was long gone by then as he left the shack as soon as Penelope left the bedroom. He ate some plants in the bountiful fields of Yormington and was on his merry way.