Andy stood looking anxiously over Henry’s shoulder. “What do you mean, he made it a practice never to list the whole set of ingredients?”Andy stood looking anxiously over Henry’s shoulder. “What do you mean, he made it a practice never to list the whole set of ingredients?”
Henry punched up the Fountain of Youth formula on the computer. “Mr. Hawkes was very worried about his experiments falling into the wrong hands. He would record only a partial listing and leave out one or two elements known only to himself.”
“Then how are we ever going to figure out what’s in the stuff or what the side effects are?”
“Here’s something.” Henry enlarged the letters on the screen. “Apparently he’d done a small amount of testing. He’s listed a few results.”
Andy read them aloud. “ ‘Gray whiskers turn dark. Older specimens seem to act half their age. Young mice show no signs of aging.’ … Uh-oh.”
“What is it, Master Hawkes?”
Andy sat on a nearby stool. “If my grandfather’s data is correct and we can’t find any way to counteract the potion, it says that I’m never going to grow up. I’ll be fourteen forever.”
Henry frowned. “Oh, dear. That would be a problem.”
“I’ll say. I’ll never get to graduate from high school or take my driver’s test. And who’s going to pay attention to me when I’m supposedly old enough to run Grandfather’s companies? I’ll still look like a kid.”
“Rest assured, Master Hawkes, I’ll stay on this problem day and night until I come up with a solution.”
“Thanks, Henry. But let’s face it. You’re not a scientist, and we can’t take a chance on involving anyone else. I’m stuck.”
Andy’s shoulders slumped as he walked across the room. “I wish Grandfather was here to get me out of this.”
“You know, Master Hawkes, there is another way of looking at this.”
“Yeah, I’ll get to watch all my friends get old and die.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of how your grandfather viewed his work. He always invented things for the good of humankind. You could use your unique situation to help people.”
“Right. What could I do? Help little old ladies cross the street and not have to worry about getting run over?”
Henry shut down the computer. Then he turned to face Andy. “You are forgetting one thing. You are a Hawkes. I’m sure if you put your mind to it, you’ll come up with something. And remember, I’m here to help you.”