Confession
I often wake up in the middle of night and listen to the howling wind. These nightmares have been haunting me since the successor of the throne has disappeared. My mind has been torn between fear and guilt for years. I tried to deceive myself. I wanted to believe that there is no connection between my work and her disappearance. I failed. My conscience forced me to pick up a pen and write these lines. This is my confession.
Ten years ago, during the night as stormy as this, a messenger thumped on the door of my laboratory. The letter was marked with the seal of Her Highness. As I was reading the orders my heart shivered. No, I never idolized the queen, but I was too dependent on her provisions and support to refuse to obey her will. But what a command it was! I tried not to think about it. I did not have much time anyway, a week was a short deadline. I knew that if I wanted to keep my position as genetics advisor in her royal service, I have to fulfill her wishes without hesitation.
Two days and two nights I spent reading the old books. During brief moments of rest my mind was analyzing the strange task she ordered me to perform. I wished the day comes when the daughter succeeds the old witch on the throne! She certainly would not have asked me to break the ethical codex of geneticist.
On the third day I started an experiment. I combined the chromosomes of fruit seeds in order to achieve the desired effect. Rules of cultivation are complex, but finally I amplified selected genes and re-directed the deposition of metabolites. With a cut of a sharp knife I grafted my creation onto the young hydroponics and fed them richly with a growth accelerator. Now I could only wait and hope the genes would turn on in a correct sequence.
Trees grew up right in front of my eyes. After two days I used a brush to pollinate bright white blooms. The next day I found tiny green fruits. When I touched them, my hands shivered. Can I finish this project? Should I rather fail? I wanted to crush the thin tree trunks and throw them out of the tower window down onto the stone-paved yard. But I did not find the courage.
On the seventh day the fruits ripened. Some of them were wrinkled and repulsive, others were purple like plums. Only one was suitable for the purpose. I took a sample for an analysis, and when the test tube turned red I covered my face with my hands.
When the darkness came, a strange old woman appeared in my quarters. Here face was wrinkled with creases, but I recognized her. I put the fruit into her hands, and the queen laughed like a crow. I bowed so she could not read the expression on my face. I desperately wished to see the day when I am free from her reign! I wished new queen would replace her soon. We all are mortal. Unfortunately, I was right.
Yes, I admit. It was my doing. How could I know the witch is going to use my creation on her stepdaughter? I was a fool. Amplified cyanides deposited in the apple body instead of in the seeds did the job. No kiss of any prince could counteract the poison.
Rest in peace, Snow White.
