The scientists were ecstatic. They had finally created a new drug that can strengthen and heal the human body faster. After years of working on this project endlessly, their efforts had not been in vain.
First, they fed this pill to a rat that was badly injured, and it healed exceptionally well. Next, a starved, dying dog that couldn't even move a limb. Upon consumption of the pill, the dog's physique started to change in front of the chemists, flesh growing on the bony creature, and soon, it opened its eyes and sprang up excitedly, running in circles as it had been lying down for weeks, deprived of any movement. The poor thing was dying when it was found, yet the scientists cared not to feed the poor creature. They needed an experimental being.
After that experiment proved successful, they brought in a group of wounded soldiers and homeless people. The soldiers came voluntarily, but the homeless people, not so much. These people were injected with and fed the drug, and they healed much faster than the animals did. What a miracle! It appeared that the drug was much more effective than expected.
Not long after, the drug was in the markets. For a ridiculously high price, yes, but everybody was eager to have it. At the time, only a few rich people could afford to buy it, yet the product sold out in a matter of days. The production of the drug was increased, and so were the sales.
Eventually, the rate of the drug started to go down. The middle class could now afford the drug. And there was this one man who was desperate to save his dying child. He had heard that this mysterious drug could heal anyone of anything. Even terminal illnesses. And that is precisely what the man wanted to save his son from. The boy, no more than eleven, was now bedridden. He was unable to move. He couldn't even open his eyes. A few weeks ago, the doctors said he had not much time and that there was nothing much they could do to save him—until finally the drug's rates came down.
It was still expensive for even the middle class, but the man did not care. All he wanted was to save his only son, even if it meant draining his pockets of every last penny.
With little money to spare, the man bought the drug. He did not read the instructions on the packaging as he was desperate. He did not want to waste any more time, for his child could die at any second. And usually, the instructions on medicinal packaging are useless. They are basic knowledge that is ingrained in everyone's brains.
So the man tossed the box aside and fed his son the pill with some milk. It was because he had yet to go out and fill their water canteens, and the only liquid they had at home was milk. He did not risk feeding his son tap water, as most of it is full of bacteria.
So milk was the better choice. The boy was weak, which is why his father helped feed him the contents. He wiped the dripping milk from the boy's lips and sat down on his son's bed. It didn't take long for the effects to kick in, for the boy had finally opened his eyes, and after many miserable months, there was a spark in those eyes for the very first time.
The man did not know whether to cry or laugh in joy. His son was healed! This was a miracle indeed!
The boy sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes as if he were waking up from a nap. He looked at his father with tears in his eyes, the man's expression mirroring his own. This was the first time he was able to sit up in months. The boy sniffed loudly, and his father broke down into sobs, hugging his son tightly in his arms.
The man did not know what to do if the medicinal drug did not work. But he was incredibly glad it did. The man and his son were the only two people in the household; they were all each other had. The man could not have borne it if his son had died. The man would have followed his son soon after. He hated the idea of suicide, but he loved his son too much to care. In this neighborhood where they were seen as the outcasts, they only had each other to comfort.
But the man had made a mistake. He should have read the instructions on the drug's packaging, because this was a strange drug. It had strange...abilities. Scientifically speaking, there is no means to treat a disease or wound within seconds. If this happened, abnormalities would be found in the body.
Which is why there were special instructions for the intake of this drug, to avoid precisely that. One of the most important points to note was that any sort of dairy intake after taking the drug was to be avoided.
And the man fed his son milk with the pill.