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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

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Weekly Summary (Week Beginning 13th of February)

This week was the final week before submission, I focused on getting my final drafts and essay done. The story, I feel, could have been better - I spent too much time during the drafts cutting rather than adding anything that could have potentially increased the quality of the piece. The critical analysis was a little bare, and could have used a more academic approach, with more quotes and sources.

Overall the project has been useful in developing my writing and creative skills.

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

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Final Story Draft

Story Draft 4

Dr Jekyll sat, at the unreasonable hour of 2 am. Hunched over his desk, fiddling with various mechanical parts. The cabinet door burst open as Poole pushed it with his back, his arms straining with a large object cradled upon them, Poole set it down on the countertop with a thud, dust billowing out into the laboratory. Poole exhaled heavily “As you requested sir, the ‘electrical dynamo’” he read with a squint from the base of the bulky transformer. “Though I don’t remember it being quite so heavy…”

Jekyll smiled meekly “There is, another thing we need Poole, a body…a host for this parasite to latch on to…”

Poole hesitated “Surely we could acquire one for study from the mortuary, sir? They often open up cadavers in front of students at the royal college.”

“Unfortunately one of their bodies will not do.” Jekyll sighed. “The body needs to be fresh and functional if Hyde is too inhabit it, the ideal scenario is a willing participant…”

“Well let’s not get ahead of ourselves sir, we still haven’t put all of this together.” Poole motioned towards the medley of mechanisms strewn around the cabinet.

“I suppose you’re right Poole.”

“I usually am sir.”

The pair toiled through the early hours of the morning to construct the machine.

“There! It’s all connected and ready to go. Mr. Hyde and I can finally be rid of each other.” Jekyll remarked.

“Sir” Poole said, approaching Jekyll “I’ve given it much consideration, and I offer my body for this procedure.”

“Poole, you can’t be serious!”

“I assure you I am.” Poole placed a hand on Jekyll’s shoulder “I have served you for 20 years sir. Henry. I would give my life for you. I am old now, and I would be remiss if I let some innocent fellow take the fall for our misdoings.”

“They were my mistakes Poole.” Jekyll pleaded

“I’m sorry Henry, but I wouldn’t have this happen any other way. You gave me a second chance at a good life all those years ago, now I hope I can give you another chance.”

Jekyll began attaching wires to Poole’s body, whirring up the dynamo and connecting the surgical tubing to both his and Poole’s wrist. All throughout the process Jekyll and Poole reminisced on pleasant times.

Jekyll took one final concoction and began convulsing. Before the transformation could complete the transfusion between Jekyll and Poole began. Jekyll pulled the last switch – electricity arcing through the air, causing Poole to shake - Jekyll’s transformation became less intense, slowly manifesting in Poole – the blood carrying the potion beginning to course through Poole’s veins. Poole’s body took the full brunt of the transformation – hair shedding and darkening, his skin being pushed outward, rippling as if a thousand cockroaches were burrowing from within. The entirety of Poole’s form shrank with the cracking of bone and ripping of skin, Jekyll turned off the machine as Poole screeched. Silence. Jekyll looked nervously at Poole’s now mutated form. The figure sat up. Intense eyes locked on Jekyll, the crusty yellowed spheres fiercely investigating him. Warts tore open as a massive grin stretched across its face, the lips pulling back – cracking the skin – revealing sharp blackened teeth. “Very good work Doctor” Hyde chuckled “I think this is going to be fun.”

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

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Critical Analysis

The aim of this project was to write a short story adapted from the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The novel was written in 1886, as the result of a dream Stevenson had. The novel is one of the most adapted texts ever, with over 123 film versions. Adaptations are still being made with Dr. Henry Jekyll Appearing in Penny Dreadful (Logan, 2014) and the ITV series Jekyll and Hyde (Higson, 2015) the texts main themes are the urban gothic and the duality of man. The novel follows the lawyer Mr. Utterson as he investigates the mysterious Mr. Hyde, who performs all manner of nefarious deeds, including murder. The big reveal is that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person, in the concluding chapter Jekyll’s perspective takes over and all of the loose ends of the novel are tied up.

When adapting my short story, my main influence point from the novel was the final chapter. ‘Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case’ as it is titled, begins by focusing on Jekyll’s motive when creating the formula which transformed him into Hyde. When describing his ideas he talks about the good and darker side of man, and says “If each could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable” (Stevenson, 1886, 75). This was the main point that inspired my adaptation – which follows Jekyll and his servant Poole as they create a machine to fully separate Hyde and Jekyll, achieving what he first desired. It is also important to note when it takes place, as it begins after Hyde has murdered Carew – this was chosen to add weight behind Jekyll’s decision to under-go this task.

Another influence for the idea was a passage from the anatomy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Irving Saposnik. The author says “Colloquial metaphor for the good-evil antithesis that lurks in all men, it has become the victim of its own success, allowing subsequent generations to take the translation of the original, to see Jekyll or Hyde where on should see Jekyll-Hyde.” (Saposnik, 1971, 715) Here Saposnik criticises further adaptations for treating Jekyll and Hyde as separate characters. This fuelled the basis of the adaptation idea, attempting to turn what Saposnik views as a negative, in to a decent adaptation.

The idea of the machine came from my research into the Victorian era, a period of time rife with inventions and technological change – the period near the time of the industrial revolution. It was also influenced by the genre of steampunk, which itself is derived from the Victorian era as it was a great time of change. With texts such as ‘The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man’ (Hodder, 2011), Dishonored (Bethesda, 2012) and Fable 2 and 3 (Lionhead Studios, 2008/2010).

When writing the short story, one of the problems encountered, was fitting within the word limit. The original draft written, was around 2000 words. One of the reasons this problem arose was due to familiarity with fantasy writing – which is often longer form and more drawn out, Flannery O’Connor said, in The nature and aim of fiction “The novel is a more diffused form and more suited to those who like to linger along the way” (O’Connor, 8). Changing to a short story writing style was difficult and took some time. In the end I managed to get to grips with it, the second draft being 500 words shorter, totalling at around 1500 words. For the next draft I kept in mind a quote from Kurt Vonnegut’s eight rules for writing fiction: “Start as close to the end as possible”(Vonnegut, 1999, 10)

Yhe third draft of my story, then, began much farther ahead in the story, enabling all of the unnecessary exposition to be left out. This process was fairly foreign, coming from a (while not extensive) longer form writing background. During my writing process I exposed myself to music from the period the story took place. One of the best pieces of music for this was the soundtrack to Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Ubisoft, 2015) as it is essentially a best hits of the period. The soundtrack was heavily influenced by Victorian and industrial London, both in terms of tonality and instrumentation. This aided my writing process by giving an impression of both the time and locale, through audio.

As useful as these influences were, however, the short story didn’t come out incredibly well in some regards. The piece of writing lost some of its atmosphere and mood after the majority of the descriptive language was removed. There is little to ground the reader in the room with Jekyll and Poole, only getting a brief glimpse at what is happening. The dialogue is also far from perfect, feeling very direct and unnatural, as if it had been written rather than said. The re-drafting process also lead to more explanation of how the machine is being used and what the characters are attempting to be removed. This makes it a little harder to follow. The narrative itself didn’t really go anywhere, with the cliff hanger ending it’s left on, it works for possibly intriguing the audience, however it isn’t a satisfying ending – it doesn’t really feel as if the reader will come away with anything from the story. This could also be due to the static nature of the story, only taking place in one location over a short period of time, feels like a snapshot of a larger story – which as an adaptation, it is. Some of Jekyll’s motives seemed a little muddied – as if he was attempting to be rid of Hyde for the good of others rather than himself, whereas in the context of the books it would probably have been purely selfish. The character of Jekyll, then, in the adaptation isn’t fully faithful to Stevenson’s original text.

On the other hand, the story does flow better in some ways by being more concise. The benefits of the short story form, is the ability to strip away a lot of the narrative, making it solely about what is happening rather than the added exposition. While I often prefer the longer form, the shorter narrative does have a charm in its straightforward, more direct approach, this can be seen most clearly in the success of Ernest Hemingway. The story’s concept is probably its strongest feature, I still believe the idea could be used to create a fairly good narrative, one of the problems of the idea is its lack of conflict, as prevalent in the majority of modern western narratives. The original idea did have more to it, going past the transformation scene with a conflict between Jekyll and Hyde. Poole and Jekyll’s relationship in my short story is also one of its stronger points, I received feedback highlighting this, and looking back I am also content with how their relationship developed throughout the various drafts.

As an animation, this adaptation would work well as a stop motion piece. The mechanical pieces and steampunk feel lends itself to the physicality of stop motion. The ominous and slightly dark feel of the story would also work well in a creepily made stop motion piece, similar to short films such as the maker (Kezelos, 2011). Due to the setting of the story, the lighting of the scenes would be dark and murky, with rudimentary lantern light and bits of moonlight revealing the dust in the cabinet. The movement itself could be similar to the traditional short film stop motion animations, not as fluid as bigger budget pieces – the slightly ‘off’ movements lending to the darker vibes. The puppets would be highly exaggerated – Jekyll tall, lanky and worrisome. Poole, hunched over with duller grey skin and more basic clothes. In the stop motion style the machine could even whirr to life and give the scene some extra energy.

The stop motion style would be perfect for the ending of the short story – the transformation could be done through clay or a similar material, really exaggerating the squash and stretch. Making miniature concoctions for the process would also give an extra feeling of warped reality – the liquids appearing realistic but in this eerie stop motion reality.

Overall I think The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde acted as a good basis for adapting a short story, with interesting themes and characters to draw influence from. The writing process taken improved vastly throughout the extent of the project and the finished short story worked well, to a certain degree. While creating a longer form version of this story would have been appreciated, working in the form of a short story has enabled me to learn more about writing than otherwise. The short story seems liked it would be a good fit for animating in stop motion and it would be interesting to see it done, however it might need tweaking as it is fairly dialogue heavy for a stop motion short film. The project has allowed me personally to grow in terms of my writing abilities and in terms of my creative process.

My critical analysis turned out okay, in hindsight I would have liked to have gotten feedback on this before submission to get an idea what to change. Overall I feel it went well, but I could have been a bit more academic in my analysis and included more research and quotes.

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

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Fourth Draft

Dr Jekyll sat, at the unreasonable hour of 2 am. Hunched over his desk, fiddling with various mechanical parts. The cabinet door burst open as Poole pushed it with his back, his arms straining with a large object cradled upon them, Poole set it down on the countertop with a thud, dust billowing out into the laboratory. Poole exhaled heavily “As you requested sir, the ‘electrical dynamo’” he read with a squint from the base of the bulky transformer. “Though I don’t remember it being quite so heavy…”

Jekyll smiled meekly “There is, another thing we need Poole.” Jekyll’s voice trembling “We need a body, for the machine to work…a host for this parasite to latch on to…”

Poole hesitated “Surely we could acquire one for medicinal purposes from the mortuary, sir? They often open up cadavers in front of students at the royal college.”

“Unfortunately one of their bodies will not do. They are too often beggars and urchins. No, the corpse I require needs to be fresh and fairly untarnished.” Jekyll sighed, slicking his hair back. “The body needs to be functional if Hyde is too inhabit it, the ideal scenario is a willing participant…”

“Well let’s not get ahead of ourselves sir, we still haven’t put all of this together.” Poole motioned towards the medley of mechanisms strewn around the cabinet.

“I suppose you’re right Poole.”

“I usually am sir.”

The pair toiled through the early hours of the morning to construct a machine surrounding the centre countertop of the cabinet. Thick copper wires trailed from the steam powered dynamo like a spider’s web, connecting to pylons at the corners of the counter, with large metal spheres atop them.

“There! It’s all connected and ready to go. Mr. Hyde and I can finally be rid of each other.” Jekyll remarked.

“Sir” Poole said, approaching Jekyll “I’ve given it much consideration, and I offer my body for this procedure.”

“Poole, you can’t be serious!”

“I assure you I am.” Poole placed a hand on Jekyll’s shoulder “I have served you for 20 years sir. Henry. I would give my life for you. I am old now, and I would be remiss if I let some innocent fellow take the fall for our misdoings.”

“They were my mistakes Poole.” Jekyll pleaded

“I’m sorry Henry, but I wouldn’t have this happen any other way. You gave me a second chance at a good life all those years ago, now I hope I can give you another chance.”

Jekyll began preparing the final touches for the process, attaching wires to Poole’s body, whirring up the dynamo and connecting the surgical tube to both his and Poole’s wrist. All throughout the process Jekyll and Poole reminisced on pleasant times. Jekyll took his seat next to Poole “Here we go.”

Jekyll took one final concoction and began convulsing. Before the transformation could complete the transfusion between Jekyll and Poole began. Jekyll pulled the last switch – electricity arcing through the air, causing Poole to shake - Jekyll’s transformation became less intense, slowly manifesting in Poole – the blood carrying the potion beginning to course through Poole’s veins. Poole’s body took the full brunt of the transformation – hair shedding and turning darker, his skin being pushed outward, rippling as if a thousand cockroaches were burrowing from within. The entirety of Poole’s form shrank with the cracking of bone and ripping of skin, Jekyll turned off the machine as Poole screeched. Silence. Jekyll looked nervously at Poole’s now mutated form. The figure sat up. Intense eyes locked on Jekyll, the crusty yellowed spheres fiercely investigating him. Warts tore open as a massive grin stretched across its face, the lips pulling back – cracking the skin – revealing sharp blackened teeth. “Very good work Doctor” Hyde chuckled “I think this is going to be fun.”

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

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While writing my drafts I often listened to this soundtrack, for the game Assassin’s creed Syndicate. It helped immerse me in the time period, and it’s a really good soundtrack to reflect on the victorian era.

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

Text

Weekly Summary (Week Beginning 6th Of February)

This week I managed to get another few drafts done of the short story. It is later in the unit than I’d like, as I wanted to start my critical analysis sooner, however it is starting to shape into the story I’d like to submit.

I also looked for influence and found a lot in the steampunk genre. Some of the content of my story relates to the genre, so it’s useful to see how others have handled it and how it relates back to Jekyll and Hyde. One of the most noticeable things is the consistent mention of the class divide (in those set during the victorian era).

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

Text

Third Draft

Dr Jekyll sat, at the unreasonable hour of 2 am. Hunched over his desk, fiddling with various mechanical parts in the feeble illumination of a solitary candle. The cabinet door burst open with a thunk as Poole pushed it open with his back, his arms straining with a large object cradled upon them. Jekyll leaned on the back of his chair, which squealed as he turned, to face Poole. Poole set – what Jekyll could now see was a dynamo – down on the countertop with a thud, dust billowing out into the laboratory. Poole exhaled heavily “As you requested sir, the ‘electrical dynamo’” he read with a squint from the base of the bulky transformer. “Though I don’t remember it being quite so heavy…”

“If I recall, you got the other servants to lift it for you.”

“Ah, quite.” Poole replied, giving Jekyll a wry smile. “Now, are you going to tell me what we’re doing with all this balderdash, sir?”

Jekyll looked up at Poole’s haggard eyes. “Fine, I suppose I ought to tell you, sit.” Jekyll pulled out a chair for Poole. Jekyll told Poole everything, from his initial experiments of splitting man from his darker side, to becoming Hyde – and of the dreadful murder. “I never meant for it to be like this…I only sought to unburden man from his darkest desires…this machine, should accomplish what chemistry could not…”

Poole regarded Jekyll with sombre eyes, silence lingered in the air for several minutes, the occasional bubbling of chemicals interrupting the oppressive stillness. “I-I regret that you did not come to me sooner, Henry.” Poole broke the quiet with a sorrowful tone.

“I didn’t think you would believe any of it…”

“Sir, I’ve known you for over twenty years, and for as many years I have known you, I have never known you as a liar. Plus, I’ve seen some of your research, I would not doubt what you could do with a handful of chemicals.”

Jekyll smiled meekly “There is, one more thing we need Poole.” Jekyll’s voice trembling “We need a body, for the machine to work…a host for this parasite to latch on to…”

Poole hesitated “Surely we could acquire one for medicinal purposes from the mortuary, sir? They often open up cadavers in front of students at the royal college.”

“Unfortunately one of their bodies will not do. They are too often beggars and urchins. No, the corpse I require needs to be fresh and fairly untarnished.” Jekyll sighed, slicking his hair back. “The body needs to be functional if Hyde is too inhabit it, the ideal scenario is a willing participant…”

“Well let’s not get ahead of ourselves sir, we still haven’t put all of this together.” Poole motioned towards the medley of mechanisms and parts strewn around the cabinet.

“I suppose you’re right Poole.”

“I usually am sir.”

The pair toiled through the early hours of the morning to construct a machine surrounding the centre countertop of the cabinet. Jekyll connected the final wires to the steam powered dynamo, thick copper wires trailing from it like a spider’s web, connecting to pylons at the four corners of the counter, with large metal spheres atop them.

“There! It’s all connected and ready to go” Jekyll remarked.

“Sir” Poole said, approaching Jekyll “I’ve given it much consideration, and I offer my body for this procedure.”

“Poole, you can’t be serious!”

“I assure you I am.” Poole placed a hand on Jekyll’s shoulder “I have served you for 20 years sir. Henry. I would give my life for you. I am old now, and I would be remiss if I let some innocent fellow take the fall for our misdoings.”

“They were my mistakes Poole.” Jekyll pleaded

“I’m sorry Henry, but I wouldn’t have this happen any other way. You gave me a second chance at a good life all those years ago, now I hope I can give you another chance.”

Jekyll began preparing the final touches for the process, attaching wires to Poole’s body, whirring up the dynamo and connecting the surgical tube to both his and Poole’s wrist. All throughout the process Jekyll and Poole reminisced on pleasant times. Jekyll took his seat next to Poole “Here we go.”

He took one final concoction and began convulsing. Before the transformation could complete the transfusion between Jekyll and Poole began. Jekyll pulled one final switch – electricity arcing through the air, causing Poole to shake - Jekyll’s transformation became less intense, slowly manifesting in Poole – the blood carrying the potion beginning to course through Poole’s veins. Poole’s body took the full brunt of the transformation – hair shedding and turning darker, his skin being pushed outward, rippling as if a thousand cockroaches were burrowing from within. The entirety of Poole’s form shrank with the cracking of bone and ripping of skin, Jekyll turned off the machine as Poole screeched. Silence. Jekyll looked nervously at Poole’s now mutated form. The figure sat up. Intense eyes locked on Jekyll, the crusty yellowed spheres fiercely investigating him. Warts tore open as a massive grin stretched across its face, the lips pulling back – cracking the skin – revealing sharp blackened teeth. “Very good work Doctor” Hyde chuckled “I think this is going to be fun.”

I prefer this draft a lot more, it still needs some cutting down but it’s starting to feel like it’s coming together. I kept in mind ‘starting as close to the end as possible’ to paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, while writing this draft.

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

Text

Second Draft Edited

Dr Jekyll sat, at the unreasonable hour of 2 am, scratching at parchment with his quill. He sat alone, in his musty cabinet, slivers of moonlight illuminating various sketches strewn across the narrow writing desk that sat afore the haggard Doctor. The feeble candle light upon Jekyll’s desk only afforded a glimpse of what he was writing, but it was enough. The chair creaked under him, as he leaned back with a sigh of relief. The quill dripped ink lazily onto the desk, the thick liquid creating blackened veins along the wood. “It could work…” he exhaled, hope flittering across his face for a brief moment.

He rose from the modest birch chair and began digging through drawers and chests. He produced all manner of tools; vices, hacksaws, scalpels, surgical tubing, copper wiring and a number of other miscellaneous items. Jekyll arranged his arsenal upon the laboratory’s centre countertop, which the medley of scientific instruments and mechanical parts took up the majority of. Jekyll rifled through his plans and double checked the parts he required, he had most of them – but he needed a few extra things.

Jekyll swiftly left his lab, making haste for the storage room, leaving the cabinet door ajar. He rummaged through crates and burlap sacks, clumsily wrenching lids off and sending things clattering that he did not need. As Jekyll rapidly searched, footsteps thundered towards the door – Jekyll span in anticipation. The door creaked open. A figure stood, shrouded in darkness. “Who goes there?” A firm, but shaken and familiar voice exclaimed.

“Oh, goodness Poole, you gave me quite a fright!” Jekyll replied, his body drooping as the tension evaporated. Poole stepped into the room, the shadows slipping from his form like a cloak. “What in the blazes are you doing up at this hour sir?” Poole inquired.

“I need the old dynamo, do we still have it?” Jekyll dodged his question.

“Well, yes I think so sir, but whatever do you need it for?” Poole continued to ask.

“Never mind that Poole, do you recall where it is?”

Poole sighed “It should still be in the cellar, but –“

“Marvellous, bring it to my cabinet post-haste!” Jekyll commanded, as he marched back to his lab, arms filled with more equipment.

Poole bashed the cabinet door open with his back, as he heaved in the dynamo. He set it down on the countertop with a thud, sending bits of paper onto the floor. Poole scanned the room, the lab had been turned upside down – wires hung loosely over chairs and makeshift supports. A thick chemical vapour coalesced around Poole’s ankles, flasks and beakers were being heated on burners, and in-amongst-the chaos Jekyll stood – sawing away at various bits of metal. “Sir-“

“Ah, Poole, is that the dynamo? Excellent, we can get –“

“Sir!” Poole cut him off. “I’m sorry, but could you please explain what in god’s name you are doing!”

Jekyll sighed, “You know Poole, if any other servant took that tone with me they’d be turned to the streets.”

Poole looked at his shoes uncomfortably, his awkward shuffling disturbing the vapours.

“I’m afraid, I can’t tell you what this is all about. I have neither the time to spare, nor the patience to convince you I’m telling the truth.” Jekyll rubbed the bridge of his nose, becoming increasingly aware how long it had been since he last slept. “The short version is, Edward Hyde has become incredibly dangerous, and this contraption could be the key to stopping him.”

“Alright sir, I’ll help as best I can, though I can’t say I’m content being left in the dark like this” Poole replied, seeming unsure about the whole situation.

The pair toiled through the early hours of the morning to construct a machine surrounding the centre countertop of the cabinet. Jekyll connected the final wires to the steam powered dynamo, which sat at the head of counter, thick copper wires trailing from it like a spider’s web. At the four corners of the counter stood pylons, with large metal spheres atop them.

“There! It’s all connected and ready to go” Jekyll remarked.

“You don’t sound terribly confident, sir” Poole commented.

Jekyll began pacing, his knuckles white. “There is, one more thing we need Poole.” Jekyll’s voice trembled under the weight of the words “We need a body, for the machine to work.” Poole hesitated, thinking for a second “Surely we could acquire one for medicinal purposes from the mortuary, sir? They often open up cadavers in front of students at the royal college.” Poole awaited a response, before coming to his senses “Actually, never mind how we get a body – how is that going to stop Hyde?”

Jekyll looked up at Poole, meeting his eyes. “Fine, I suppose I ought to tell you, sit” Jekyll pulled out a chair for Poole “I don’t wish to tarry so I’ll make this quick…”

Jekyll told Poole everything, from his initial experiments and motives, to becoming Hyde – and of the dreadful murder, that had occurred so recently. “I never meant for it to be like this…I only sought to unburden man from his darkest desires…this machine, should accomplish what chemistry could not…”

Poole sat in stunned silence, “Well…I can see why you’d think I would be inclined to not believe you...but I’ve known you for a long time, sir, if you think this machine will accomplish something, and I’ll help as best I can.”

Jekyll looked at Poole and gave a thin smile, “Thank you Poole, and as for your earlier suggestion, unfortunately one of their bodies will not do. They are too often beggars and urchins, who have been dispatched in an unsuitable manner. No, the corpse I require needs to be fresh and only lightly wounded.” Jekyll sighed, slicking his hair back as he rested in his chair.

“What do you suggest then sir? How would you go about procuring this body?” Poole leaned in, resting his chin in his hand.

“I suppose, we’ll have to find someone who will go fairly unnoticed when they’ve passed on, maybe one of our newer servants or –“

“Preposterous!” Poole protested. “We’ll not go around murdering innocents!”

“If we don’t, Hyde will! One sacrifice is all it takes to prevent others from dying at his hands!” Jekyll yelled in a panicked fit. Poole regarded Jekyll for a while, acknowledging the pressure he felt regarding the situation. “Sir, if you feel it necessary, I would rather you take my life.” Jekyll stared at Poole, confusion painted on his face.

“Poole…I could never…”

“Sir, I’ve known you for over 20 years. I have the utmost respect for you and if you feel that there is no other option than to take a life, I want it to be mine. I would be honoured to serve you for one last time.” Jekyll nodded solemnly, his eyes brimming with warm tears. He reached onto the counter for a scalpel, examining it in his hands – he hesitated, a solitary tear soaking on his palm. “I am sorry Poole, I-I wish it didn’t have to come to this…”

“It’s alright sir. I’m ready.” Poole smiled reassuringly, disguising the immense fear and uncertainty building in the back of his skull. Jekyll moved behind Poole’s seat, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. “Goodbye, friend.” Jekyll whispered as he slashed the thin blade across Poole’s throat. Blood gushed freely from the exposed veins, soaking Poole’s shirt, splattering onto the floor. Poole gargled and spasmed in his death throes, Jekyll having to hold him upright. As the rushing tide of crimson sputtered to a halt, Jekyll looked at his old friend, the guilt forming as bile in his throat. Jekyll moved swiftly on, not wanting Poole’s help to go unused. He laid Poole down onto the countertop among the machinery, and began sewing the wound back up.

Jekyll begin preparing the final touches for the process, attaching wires to Poole’s body, whirring up the dynamo and connecting the surgical tube to both his and Poole’s wrist. He took his seat, next to Poole’s corpse “Here we go.” He said under his breath. He took one final concoction and began convulsing – beginning to transform into Hyde. Before it was complete the transfusion between his and Poole’s body began, and Jekyll pulled one final switch – electricity arcing through the air, causing Poole’s body to shake - Jekyll’s transformation became less intense, slowly manifesting in Poole – the blood carrying the potion beginning to course through Poole’s veins. The tubes connected to Jekyll transported a thick brown liquid into the writhing body of Poole. Jekyll watched on as Poole’s body took the full brunt of the transformation – hair shedding and turning darker, his skin being pushed out from within, rippling as if a thousand cockroaches were burrowing out of his body. The entirety of Poole’s form began shrinking with the cracking of bone and ripping of skin, Jekyll turned off the machine as a screech echoed from the body. Silence. Jekyll looked nervously at Poole’s now mutated husk. The figure sat up. Intense eyes locked on Jekyll, the crusty yellowed spheres fiercely investigating him. Warts tore open as a massive grin stretched across its face, the lips pulling back – cracking the skin – revealing blackened and sharp teeth. “Very good work Doctor” Hyde chuckled “I think this is going to be fun.”

I managed to cut the draft down a little, but in the end I decided I would rewrite it from the beginning, keeping in mind the writing tips I researched.

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ba2astoryadaptation · 8 years

Text

Second Draft