Ronny paced the house nervously trying to figure out what he was going to do. His boots created a footstep that easily boomed around the house as his walking became harder and more frequent to the old wooden floor. He was sweating hard. The top of his blue t-shirt was wet with the perspiration that refused to stop falling. Even his jeans seemed to be sticking to his legs he was so nervous.
Bringing a shaky hand up to the back of his neck he scratched it hurriedly before he looked out the window. His stomach seemed to drop two stories as he saw his fear driving hastily through the front gate and over the gravel driveway up to the front door. Ronny decided to take the elevator down so he would not fall down the stairs. He had always been afraid of death, even when he knew it may have been better just to commit suicide than tell his dad what had happened.
Stepping out from the elevator doors, he smoothed down his shirt and took a long, deep breath before tripping up to the door. His father beat him to opening it and taking Ronny by the shoulders he scarcely asked, “How did it happen?”
Tears forming in the nearly grown man, he began to rock back and forth on his toes.
“Well?” his fall asked impatiently.
Taking the last sigh he would make in the world Ronny mumbled, “It was an accident. I didn’t mean for Mousy-Mouse to get loose...”
His father beat the floor twice with his foot to try to hurry him up with the explanation.
“I was only looking for him when I stepped on him.”
Ronny’s father fell to the floor. Before passing out, his father whispered the words, “All my work… gone. The cure to cancer is gone. Everything…gone.”
The cure was in the mouse. The mouse was gone. The cure went with it.