Experiment: Veronica
Ah,
my dear Veronica. What a beauty. I remember heading to my class and meeting her
at the foot of the stairs. She had just gotten out of work at the library and was
running down them. When we collided, my glasses flew off my face and books were
scattered everywhere! We looked so foolish! But it was then that I saw her
beautiful green eyes and knew I needed to be with her.
We
dated like any young lovers would, timidly. It took three months for us to hold
hands! She always said the sweetest things to me. She would help me with my
work by encouraging me to do my best. Finally after I had finished school we
got married and I was so happy to be able to have her as my wife. She was
beautiful Aphrodite with Athena’s mind.
I
began working for the Third Reich. We began to experiment different ways of
making our soldiers stronger and faster. I worked tirelessly with Veronica
standing right beside me, occasionally giving advice even though she was not a
scientist but just a loving wife. When I began to grow frustrated with mistakes,
she would calm me down with gentle words. The experiments ultimately failed.
The Third Reich decided to call the program off after losing ten men to the
procedures. I was a broken man.
Veronica
had a beautiful, prized ring given to her by her grandma. It was a silver band
with a large green stone sitting proudly in the center. Seeing me so upset, she
sold it and bought some surplus beakers and burners and put them in the
basement for me. I was overcome with joy! I began working at once to make
anything I could and it made her so very proud. It was difficult to find the
resources I needed to work with, so it was she who would go to laboratories and
beg other scientists for some. I didn’t want her to do such a thing for me, but
she was a strong, loving wife and did it despite my protests. One time the
Gestapo caught her and interrogated her for her suspicious behavior, but she
informed them that her husband was working in the laboratory, so they let her
go, thinking I was still an employee. Oh, what a sneaky woman she was! With her scavenged supplies I was able to
make pills that contained many necessary vitamins, shots that ease pain, and
many other things. The Third Reich became interested in me and my work once
again. They funded me and gave me the materials necessary, and Veronica no
longer had to put herself in such dangerous and embarrassing situations.
It
was horrible the day I had the accident in my lab. My formula exploded due to
excessive heat and was splashed all over the floor. It was one of my most promising
tests too. I created a solution that would drive my enemies mad, at first
slowly but then rapidly, until they destroyed themselves and others. I didn’t
want Veronica to help clean, being concerned she would be affected by it. When
I was downstairs, she must remain upstairs. I would never let her be put in a
dangerous situation again. As I cleaned the terrible, terrible mess, I made
sure none of it would be left behind. I put the rags I used in a trash bag and
kept it in the basement for when I would be able to dispose of it. That is when
Veronica started to get sick.
I
noticed over the next couple of weeks that she had rashes on her forearms. When
I would confront her about it, she would tell me that there was no problem. She
was always brave like that. I got slightly nervous for her and found that my
trash bag full of the formula soaked rags was gone. She tried to tell me she
didn’t take it out. I believed her until she began acting differently. When she
would wash the dishes she inspected them like she had done in the past but now
she seemed to look more closely, almost as if making sure there were no bugs.
When I would offer to clean them for her she would tell me that I do not clean
them properly because I never double checked for remaining food. She obviously had
become paranoid.
I kept to a normal
schedule despite her abnormal behavior. Why didn’t I realize the signs and
react? I continued my work, but constantly met trials such as not having
supplies or not being able to come up with the correct formula. I was so
selfish. Though leaders of Deutschland complimented me for being one of their
greatest scientists, I knew it was just Veronica having them say that in order
spare my feelings. This is when I began my work to make explosive toads, and
rabbits that flew. She would tell me I was working too much and was losing my
mind! Ha, she was such a jolly joker.
The
rash began to spread to her face, but she denied it, saying she saw nothing. My
poor love couldn’t realize she had been affected by the formula. I felt
terrible, and I couldn’t let anyone else get sick. Fearing my experimental
infirmity could be contagious I locked Veronica in the house and made sure she
could not leave. It was then that her illness turned for the worse; she turned
on me! She began calling me mad and told me I needed help. I couldn’t let this
go on. I began to look for a cure to help my poor Veronica. I worked day and
night, constantly hearing the sounds of her banging against the doors and
screaming out for help.
She
was not compliant when I began to cure her. She would scream, twist and beg to
be set free. I wanted to, but first she had to be healthy again. None of the
cures seemed to work! My wife needed me and I couldn’t help her! I knew I
needed to go to more dramatic measures. I raised all her dosages. Slowly she
began to shout less and become more docile, like her normal self.
One
day, when I came into my laboratory, I found my love, my all, dead. Her body
could not handle my help. I had failed my love again.
She
still lives on now. Her beautiful heart sits waiting for me in the house just
as if she were still alive. The rest of her body, however, could not stay, as
it would have been too difficult and painful for me to handle. When the police
found her in the river they concluded she was experimented and tortured to
death. I am unfortunately not able to stay with my dear Veronica because I am
in a cell for “murdering” my wife and also for being “insane”. If only they
knew she was just sick and needed help. One day I will return to rip open the
floor boards to hold my wife’s heart. Luckily her beautiful eyes were small
enough to fit into my pockets. Every
time I look at them, I remember our first meeting.
-Dr.
Schultz Kempler
Journal
Entry Found on Prisoner 12956 Before Execution
April
19, 1944
