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The wall clock read 2:47 a.m. The containment room was shrouded in a cold dimness, lit only by the flickering fluorescent lights in the hallway. Anomaly-13, nicknamed "Doctor Weird" sat in the corner of its cell, knees bent and gloved hands resting on its legs. Its beaked mask pointed toward the reinforced glass door, motionless, like a forgotten statue.
On the other side of the glass, Kaelen, the security guard, shifted in his swivel chair. He stretched, rubbing his eyes wearily. The night shift was lonely, and the hours seemed to drag on, as if time itself refused to move forward.
"I don’t know how you sit there without moving," Kaelen muttered, listlessly checking the security cameras. "I’ve been here six hours, and I already want to throw myself out the window."
Doctor Weird didn’t react. Its mask remained fixed in the same direction.
Kaelen sighed, pulling a book from his backpack. It was a worn-out fantasy novel, with bent corners and yellowed pages. He opened it and began reading aloud, not thinking too much about who — or what — his audience was.
"'The dragon spread its wings, casting a colossal shadow across the sky. The knight, barely a speck before the beast, gripped his sword...'"
After a few minutes, Kaelen glanced up. Doctor Weird had slightly turned its head toward him, tilting it at a slight angle, as if listening.
Kaelen blinked, surprised.
"You like the story?" he joked, half-laughing.
The anomaly didn’t respond but kept its head tilted.
"I guess you don’t mind if I keep going, then..." Kaelen settled back in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk. "'The steel gleamed under the sun’s light, reflecting the knight’s determination...'"
Night after night, the routine repeated itself. Kaelen read aloud, and Doctor Weird listened in silence. Sometimes, when Kaelen paused, the anomaly made its peculiar "pecking" motion, opening and closing its mask with a dry creak, almost like it was impatient for the story to continue.
One night, Kaelen closed the book after finishing a chapter.
"You know, you’re better company than the other guards," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "At least you don’t talk about politics or soccer."
Doctor Weird slowly approached the glass, its movements stiff, almost mechanical. It stopped in front of Kaelen, tilting its head to the side.
Kaelen gave it a lopsided smile.
"I’ll bring you another book tomorrow. This one’s finished."
Doctor Weird stood there, motionless, watching Kaelen as he settled in to catch a few minutes of sleep. When the guard’s eyes finally closed, the anomaly turned and returned to its corner, sitting with its hands on its knees in the same rigid position as always. But this time, it leaned slightly forward, as if waiting for Kaelen to speak again.