Brain Food (6 page)

Epilogue

Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!

David Holmes nearly crashed through the filthy door. Sweat dripping down his brow, panting, he scanned the dusty glass containers, read the labels, shook a few pill bottles, then called to the unseen shopkeeper.

“Hey! Gomez! I need to talk to you—NOW!”

A small, hunched figure meandered down a dark hallway, emerging through a beaded curtain hung in the doorframe. “How can I help you, Señor?”

“You can give me that wonder drug…the secret formula that turns people into geniuses.”

The old man twisted and played with his lengthy, gray beard. “I know of no such secret formula.”

David leaned in close. “Listen, old man. I need this. You don’t understand. I haven’t been able to write in…in years. This is my last hope. Your secret formula is my only hope. Please!”

The old man grinned. “I might be able to help you, but first I must ask—how far would you go?”

“What?” David said, confused. Was the old coot loco?

Señor Gomez dropped a small wooden crate onto the counter. “Are you willing to pay the price?”