Dorothy: Book 3 Chapter 1

## Verse 1

"Yes! I finally **finished** it!"

A voice rings gleefully from somewhere in an apartment building.

The room is strangely bereft of any standard appliances or the usual furniture.

Instead, it's crowded with odd equipment — just the way the spectacled tenant likes it.

"This will change the world forever!

My results are undeniable!

Now, we can jump through **time**!"

She laughed, frothing at the mouth.

Her finger quivered as she pushed a button labeled "**Activate**."

Suddenly, **light** flooded the room."

 Hey there, great researcher.

 Honored to meet ya.

 Oh? A hallucination? Or an illusion?

 These monsters... What are they?

 They're quite fascinating!

## Verse 2

The unknown.

Unsolved mysteries.

These are my bread and butter.

I live to unravel their secrets.

## Verse 3

And so I was thrilled to find

such strange dolls and odd people.

I couldn't wait to study them.

The excitement was almost too much to bear!

## Verse 4

If my hallucinations are

a side effect of the machine,

I need more data.

## Verse 5

At first, everything appeared normal.

People did seem more violent, though...

If they even were people at all.

## Verse 6

I couldn't recall why I was suddenly attacked.

Was it because of what I stole?

But I needed it for my research!

## Verse 7

Perhaps the monsters

reflect my state of mind.

If so, why aren't they more professorial?

## Verse 8

I will use myself as a test subject and probe the fundamentals of science!

What a noble idea!

Those graybeards in their ivory towers

would never understand!

## Verse 9

I am a scientist.

I pursue the truth.

This research will prove them all wrong!

## Verse 10

*Before*

"Is this a side effect of time travel? If so, my experience is extremely valuable data!"

Looking at the monsters who appeared before her, the bespectacled scientist shook with **joy**.

"I now stand at the crossroads of **history**.

As long as I make it through this, my **time** machine is a success!"

Her eyes **gleamed** with fierce lunacy as she faced the beasts with ravenous glee.

 I think it's time for a little fun.

 What will you do?

 Hallucination or not, it's all the same.

 Ah hah... So, a research survey, then?

 An extremely horrifying one, I bet.

 We have to get away from here, lest we become part of the research!

*After*

"Say, my doll companions, how about we XX...?"

"We refuse."

"Request **denied**."

The bespectacled woman pouted, a grim **discontent** crossing her face.

She looked like a little girl.

"Oh, silly me... Why did I even get offended?"

Her smile was childish, but her eyes were deader than a doll's.

"Trying to get the opinion of my test subjects is **absurd**."

The woman smiled and reached for a wrench, as the dolls recoiled in **fear**.

## Discordant Poem

These are the findings of one particular scientist.

She was obsessed with research,

and attempted to control time itself.

She was no ordinary woman, that's for sure.

In the eyes of a scientist,

everything is a potential test subject.

Things that appear to be strange beasts are even more so!

I must capture and dissect them!

Thinking only of her time machine,

the researcher leapt forward,

believing even this moment to be another

side effect of time travel.