FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON

Daniel Keyes progris riport 1-martch 5, 1965 Dr. Strauss says I shud rite down what I think and e rey thing that happins to me !rom now on, I dont know why "ut he says its importint so they will see i! they will use me. I hope they use me. #iss Kinnian says may"e they can make me smart. I want to "e smart. #y name is $harlie %ordon. I am &' years old. I ha e nuthing more to rite now so I will close !or today. progris riport (-martch 6 I had a test today. I think I !aled it. )nd I think may"e now they wont use me. *hat happind is a nice young man was in the room and he had some white cards and ink spillled all o er them. +e sed $harlie what do o see on this card. I was ery skared e en tho I had my ra"its !oot in my pockit "ecause when I was a kid I always !aled tests in school and I spillled ink to. I told him I saw a ink"lot. +e said yes and it made me !eel good. I thot that was all "ut when I got up to go he said $harlie we are not thrn yet. ,hen I dont remem"er so good "ut he wantid me to say what was in the ink. I dint see nuthing in the ink "ut he said there was picturs there other pepul saw some picturs. I couldnt see any picturs. I reely tryed. I held the card close up and then !ar away. ,hen I said i! I had my glases I coud see "etter I usally only ware my glases in the mo ies or ,- "ut I said they are in the closit in the hall. I got them. ,hen I said let me see that card agen I "et Ill !ind it now. I tryed hard "ut I only saw the ink. I told him may"e I need new glases. +e rote something down on a paper and I got skared o! !aling the test. I told him it was a ery nice ink"lot with littel points all around the edges. +e looked ery sad so that wasnt it. I said please let me try agen. Ill get it in a !ew minits "ecaus Im not so !ast sometimes. Im a slow reeder too in #iss Kinnians class !or slow adtilts "ut I.m trying ery hard. +e ga e me a chance with another card that had ( kinds o! ink spilled on it red and "lue. +e was ery nice and talked slow like #iss Kinnian does and he e/planed it to me that it was a raw shok. +e said pepul see things in the ink. I said show me where. +e said think. I told him I think a ink"lot "ut that wasn.t rite eather. +e said what does it remind you-pretend something. I closed m e es !or a long time to

pretend. I told him I pretend a !owutan pen with ink leeking all o er a ta"le cloth. I don.t think I passed the raw shok test

progris riport &-martch ' Dr Strauss and Dr 0emur say it dont matter a"out the ink"lots. ,hey said that may"e they will still use me. I said #iss Kinnian ne er ga e me tests like that one only spelling and reading. ,hey said #iss Kinnian told that I was her "estist pupil in the adult nite school "ecaus I tryed the hardist and I reely wantid to lern. ,hey said how come you went to the adult nite scool all "y yoursel! $harlie. +ow did you !ind it. I said I asked pepul and sum "ody told me where I shud go to lern to read and spell good. ,hey said why did you want to. I told them "ecaus all my li!e I wantid to "e smart and not dum". 1ut its ery hard to "e smart. ,hey said you know it will pro"ly "e tempirery. I said yes. #iss Kinnian told me. I dont care i! it herts. 2ater I had more cra3y tests today. ,he nice lady who ga e it to me told me the name and I asked her how do you spell it so I can rite it my progris riport. ,+4#),I$ )5546$45,I70 ,4S,. I dont know the !rist ( words "ut I know what test means. 8ou got to pass it or you get "ad marks. ,his test lookd easy "ecaus I could see the picturs. 7nly this time she dint want me to tell her the picturs. ,hat mi/d me up. She said make up storys a"out the pepul in the picturs. I told her how can you tell storys a"out pepul you ne er met. I said why shud I make up lies. I ne er tell lies any more "ecaus I always get caut. She told me this test and the other one the raw-shok was !or getting personality. I la!!ed so hard. I said how can you get that thing !rom ink"lots and !otos. She got sore and put her picturs away. I don.t care. It was sily. I gess I !aled that test too. 2ater some men in white coats took me to a di!ernt part o! the hospitil and ga e me a game to play. It was like a race with a white mouse. ,hey called the mouse )lgernon. )lgernon was in a "o/ with a lot o! twists and turns like all kinds o! walls and they ga e me a pencil and a paper with lines and lots o! "o/es. 7n one side it said S,)6, and on the other end it said 9I0IS+. ,hey said it was ama3ed and that )lgernon and me had the same ama3ed to do. I dint see how we could ha e the same ama3ed i! )lgernon had a "o/ and I had a paper "ut I dint say. nothing. )nyway there wasnt time "ecause the race started. 7ne o! the men had a watch he was trying to hide so I wouldnt

see it so I tryed not to look and that made me ner us. )nyway that test made me !eel worser than all the others "ecause they. did it o er 1: times with di!!erent ama3eds and )lgernon won e ery time. I dint know that mice were so smart, #ay"e thats "ecause )lgernon is a white mouse. #ay"e white mice are smarter than other mice.

progris riport ;-#ar < ,heir going to use me= Im so e/cited I can hardly write. Dr 0emur and Dr Strauss had a argament a"out it !irst. Dr 0emur was in the o!!ice when Dr Strauss "rot me in. Dr 0emur was worryed a"out using me "ut Dr Strauss told him #iss Kinnian rekemmended me the "est !rom all the people who she was teaching. I like #iss Kinnian "ecaus shes a ery smart teacher. )nd she said $harlie your going to ha e a second chance. I! you olunteer !or this e/perament you mite get smart. ,hey dont know i! it will "e perminint "ut theirs a chance. ,hats why I said ok e en when I was scared "ecause she said it was an operashun. She said dont "e scared $harlie you done so much with so little I think you deser it most o! all. So I got scaird when Dr. 0emur and Dr. Strauss argud a"out it. Dr. Strauss said I had something that was ery good. +e said I had a good motor ation. I ne er e en knew I had that. I !elt proud when he said that not e ery "ody with an eye-> o! 6< had that thing. I dant know what it is or where I got it "ut he said )lgernon had it too. )lgernons motor- ation is the cheese they put in his "o/. 1ut it cant "e that "ecause I didn.t eat any cheese this week. ,hen he told Dr 0emur something I dint understand so while they were talking I wrote down some o! the words. +e said Dr. 0emur I know $harlie is not what you had in mind as the !irst o! your new "rede o! intelek?? @couldnt get the wordA superman. 1ut most people o! his low ment?? are host?? and uncoop?? they are usually dull apath?? and hard to reach. +e has a good natcher hes intristed and eager to please. Dr 0emur said remem"er he will "e the !irst human "eeng e er to ha e his inteliBence tripled "y surgicle meens. Dr. Strauss said e/akly. 2ook at how well hes lerned to read and write !or his low mentel age its as grate an ache e?? as you and I lerning einstines therey o! ?? ity without help. ,hat shows the inteness motor- ation. Its comparat?? a tremen?? ache ?? I say we use $harlie. I dint get all the words "ut it sounded like Dr Strauss was on my side and like the other one wasnt.

,hen Dr 0emur nodded he said all right may"e your right. *e will use $harlie. *hen he said that I got so e/ited I Bumped up and shook his hand !or "eing so good to me. I told him thank you doc you wont "e sorry !or gi ing me a second chance. )nd I mean it like I told him. )!ter the operashun Im gonna try to "e smart. Im gonna try aw!ul hard.

progris riport 5-#ar 1: Im skared. 2ots o! the nurses and the people who ga e me the tests came to "ring me candy and wish me luck. I hope I ha e luck. I got my ra"its !oot and my lucky penny. 7nly a "lack cat crossed me when I was comming to the hospitil. Dr Strauss says dont "e supersitis $harlie this is science. )nyway Im keeping my ra"its !oot with me. I asked Dr Strauss i! Ill "eat )lgernon in the race a!ter the operashun and he said may"e. I! the operashun works Ill show that mouse I can "e as smart as he is. #ay"e smarter. ,hen Ill "e a"el to read "etter and spell the words good and know lots o! things and "e like other people. I want to "e smart like other people. I! it works perminint they will make e ery"ody smart all o er the wurld. ,hey dint gi e me anything to eat this morning. I dont know what that eating has to do with getting smart. Im ery hungry and Dr. 0emur took away my "o/ o! candy. ,hat Dr 0emur is a grouch. Dr Strauss says I can ha e it "ack a!ter the operashun. 8ou cant eat "e!or a operashun....

progress report 6-#ar 15 ,he operashun dint hurt. +e did it while I was sleeping. ,hey took o!! the "andiBis !rom my head today so I can make a 567%64SS 64576,. Dr. 0emur who looked at some o! my other ones says I spell 567%64SS wrong and told me how to spell it and 64576, too. I got to try and remem"er that. I ha e a ery "ad memary !or spelling. Dr Strauss says its ok to tell a"out all the things that happin to me "ut he says I should tell more a"out what I !eel and what I think. *hen I told him I dont know how to think he said try. )ll the time when the "andiBis were on my eyes I tryed to think. 0othing happened. I dont know what to think a"out. #ay"e i! I ask him he will tell me how I can think now that Im supposed to get smart. *hat do smart people think a"out. 9ancy things I suppose. I wish I knew some !ancy things alredy.

progress report '-mar 19 0othing is happining. I had lots o! tests and di!!erent kinds o! races with )lgernon. I hate that mouse. +e always "eats me. Dr. Strauss said I got to play those games. )nd he said some time I got to take those tests o er again. ,hose ink"lots are stupid. )nd those pictures are stupid too. I like to draw a picture o! a man and a woman "ut I wont make up lies a"out people. I got a headache !rom trying to think so much. I thot Dr Strauss was my !rend "ut he dont help me. +e dont tell me what to think or when Ill get smart. #iss Kinnian dint come to see me. I think writing these progress reports are stupid too.

progress report <-#ar (& Im going "ack to work at the !actory. ,hey said it was "etter I shud go "ack to work "ut I cant tell anyone what the operashun was !or and I ha e to come to the hospitil !or an hour e ry night a!ter work. ,hey are gonna pay me mony e ery month !or learning to "e smart. Im glad Im going "ack to work "ecause I miss my Bo" and all my !rends and all the !un we ha e there. Dr Strauss say.s I shud keep writing things down "ut I dont ha e to do it e ery day Bust when I think o! something or something speshul happins. +e says dont get discoridged "ecause it takes time and it happins slow. +e say.s it took a long time with )lgernon "e!ore he got & times smarter than he was "e!ore. ,hats why )lgernon "eats me all the time "ecause he had that operashun too. ,hat makes me !eel "etter. I coud pro"ly do that ama3ed !aster than a reglar mouse. #ay"e some day Ill "eat him. ,hat would "e something. So !ar )lgernon looks smart perminent.

#ar (5 @I dont ha e to write 567%64SS 64576, on top any more Bust when I hand it in once a week !or Dr 0emur. I Bust ha e to put the date on. ,hat sa es timeA *e had a lot o! !un at the !actory today. Coe $arp said hey look where $harlie had his operashun what did they do $harlie put some "rains in. I was going to tell him "ut I remem"ered Dr Strauss said no. ,hen 9rank 6eilly said what did you do $harlie !orget your key and open your door the hard way. ,hat made me la!!. ,heir really

my !riends and they like me. Sometimes some"ody will say hey look at Coe or 9rank or %eorge he really pulled a $harlie %ordon. I dont know why they say that "ut they always la!!. ,his morning )mos 1org who is the ; man at Donnegans used my name when he shouted at 4rnie the o!!ice "oy. 4rnie lost a packige. +e said 4rnie !or godsake what are you trying to "e a $harlie %ordon. I dont understand why he said that.

#ar (< Dr Strauss came to my room tonight to see why I dint come in like I was suppose to. I told him I dont like to race with )lgernon any more. +e said I dont ha e to !or a while "ut I shud come in. +e had a present !or me. I thot it was a little tele ision "ut it wasnt. +e said I got to turn it on when I go to sleep. I said your kidding why shud I turn it on when Im going to sleep. *ho e er herd o! a thing like that. 1ut he said i! I want to get smart I got to do what he says. I told him I dint think I was going to get smart and he puts his hand on my sholder and said $harlie you dont know it yet "ut your getting smarter all the time. 8ou wont notice !or a while. I think he was Bust "eing nice to make me !eel good "ecause I dont look any smarter. 7h yes I almost !orgot. I asked him when I can go "ack to the class at #iss Kinnians school. +e said I wont go their. +e said that soon #iss Kinnian will come to the hospitil to start and teach me speshul.

#ar (9 ,hat cra3y ,- kept up all night. +ow can I sleep with something yelling cra3y things all night in my ears. )nd the nutty pictures. *ow. I don.t know what it says when Im up so how am I going to know when Im sleeping. Dr Strauss says its ok. +e says my "rains are lerning when I sleep and that will help me when #iss Kinnian starts my lessons in the hospitl @only I !ound out it isn.t a hospitil its a la"atory.A I think its all cra3y. I! you can get smart when your sleeping why do people go to school. ,hat thing I don.t think will work. I use to watch the late show and the late late show on ,- all the time and it ne er made me smart. #ay"e you ha e to sleep while you watch it.

progress report 9-)pril & Dr Strauss showed me how to keep the ,- turned low so now I can sleep. I don.t hear a thing. )nd I still dont understand what it

says. ) !ew times I play it o er in the morning to !ind out what I lerned when I was sleeping and I don.t think so. #iss Kinnian says #ay"e its another langwidge. 1ut most times it sound american. It talks !aster then e en #iss %old who was my teacher in 6 grade. I told Dr. Strauss what good is it to get smart in my sleep. I want to "e smart when Im awake. +e says its the same thing and I ha e two minds. ,heres the su"conscious and the conscious @thats how you spell itA. )nd one dont tell the other one what its doing. ,hey dont e en talk to each other. ,hats why I dream. )nd "oy ha e I "een ha ing cra3y dreams. *ow. 4 er since that night ,-. ,he late late late show. I !orgot to ask him i! it was only me or i! e ery"ody had those two minds. @I Bust looked up the word in the dictionary Dr Strauss ga e me. ,he word is su"conscious. adB. 7! the nature o! mental operations yet not present in consciousnessD as, su"conscious con!lict o! desires.A ,here.s more "ut I still dont know what it means. ,his isnt a ery good dictionary !or dum" people like me. )nyway the headache is !rom the party. #y !riends !rom the !actery Coe $arp and 9rank 6eilly in ited me to go to #uggsys Saloon !or some drinks. I don.t like to drink "ut they said we will ha e lots o! !un. I had a good time. Coe $arp said I shoud show the girls how I mop out the toilet in the !actory and he got me a mop. I showed them and e eryone la!!ed when I told that #r. Donnegan said I was the "est Baniter he e er had "ecause I like my Bo" and do it good and ne er miss a day e/cept !or my operashun. I said #iss Kinnian always said $harlie "e proud o! your Bo" "ecause you do it good. 4 ery"ody la!!ed and we had a good time and they ga e me lots o! drinks and Coe said $harlie is a card when hes potted. I dont know what that means "ut e ery"ody likes me and we ha e !un. I cant wait to "e smart like my "est !riends Coe $arp and 9rank 6eilly. I dont remem"er how the party was o er "ut I think I went out to "uy a newspaper and co!!e !or Coe and 9rank and when I came "ack there was no one their. I looked !or them all o er till late. ,hen I dont remem"er so good "ut I think I got sleepy or sick. ) nice cop "rot me "ack home ,hats what my landlady #rs 9lynn says. 1ut I got a headache and a "ig lump on my head. I think may"e I !ell "ut Coe $arp says it was the cop they "eat up drunks some times. I don.t think so. #iss Kinnian says cops are to help people. )nyway I got a "ad headache and Im sick and hurt all o er. I dont think Ill drink anymore.

)pril 6 I "eat )lgernon= I dint e en know I "eat him until 1urt the tester told me. ,hen the second time I lost "ecause I got so e/ited I !ell o!! the chair "e!ore I !inished. 1ut a!ter that I "eat him < more times. I must "e getting smart to "eat a smart mouse like )lgernon. 1ut I dont !eel smarter. I wanted to race )lgernon some more "ut 1urt said thats enough !or one day. ,hey let me hold him !or a minit. +es not so "ad. +es so!t like a "all o! cotton. +e "links and when he opens his eyes their "lack and pink on the eges. I said can I !eed him "ecause I !elt "ad to "eat him and I wanted to "e nice and make !riends. 1urt said no )lgernon is a ery specshul mouse with an operashun like mine, and he was the !irst o! all the animals to stay smart so long. +e told me )lgernon is so smart that e ery day he has to sol e a test to get his !ood. Its a thing like a lock on a door that changes e ery time )lgernon goes in to eat so he has to lern something new to get his !ood. ,hat made me sad "ecause i! he couldnt lern he woud "e hungry. I don.t think its right to make you pass a test to eat. +ow woud Dr 0emur like it to ha e to pass a test e ery time he wants to eat. I think Ill "e !riends with )lgernon.

)pril 9 ,onight a!ter work #iss Kinnian was at the la"oratory. She looked like she was glad to see me "ut scared. I told her dont worry #iss Kinnian Im not smart yet and she la!!ed. She said I ha e con!idence in you $harlie the way you struggled so hard to read and right "etter than all the others. )t werst you will ha e it !or a littel wile and your doing something !or science. *e are reading a ery hard "ook. Its called 6o"inson $rusoe a"out a man who gets merooned on a dessert Iland. +es smart and !igers out all kinds o! things so he can ha e a house and !ood and hes a good swimmer. 7nly I !eel sorry "ecause hes all alone and has no !rends. 1ut I think their must "e some"ody else on the iland "ecause theres a picture with his !unny um"rella looking at !ootprints. I hope he gets a !rend and not "e lonly.

)pril 1: #iss Kinnian teaches me to spell "etter. She says look at a word and close your eyes and say it o er and o er until you remem"er. I ha e lots o! tru"le with through that you say threw and enough and tough that you dont say enew and tew. 8ou got to say enu!! and tu!!. ,hats how I use to write it "e!ore I started to get smart. Im con!used "ut #iss Kinnian says theres no reason in spelling.

)pr 1; 9inished 6o"inson $rusoe. I want to !ind out more a"out what happens to him "ut #iss Kinnian says thats all there is. *hy. )pr 15 #iss Kinnian says Im lerning !ast. She read some o! the 5rogress 6eports and she looked at me kind o! !unny. She says Im a !ine person and Ill show them all. I asked her why. She said ne er mind "ut I shouldnt !eel "ad i! I !ind out e ery"ody isnt nice like I think. She said !or a person who god ga e so little to you done more then a lot o! people with "rains they ne er e en used. I said all my !riends are smart people "ut there good. ,hey like me and they ne er did anything that wasnt nice. ,hen she got something in her eye and she had to run out to the ladys room.

)pr 16 ,oday, I lerned, the comma, this is a comma @,A a period, with a tail, #iss Kinnian, says its importent, "ecause, it makes writing, "etter, she said, some"ody, coud lose, a lot o! money, i! a comma, isnt, in the, right place, I dont ha e, any money, and I dont see, how a comma, keeps you, !rom losing it.

)pr 1' 1 used the comma wrong. Its punctuation. #iss Kinnian told me to look up long words in the dictionary to lern to spell them. I said whats the di!!erence i! you can read it anyway. She said its part o! your education so now on Ill look up all the words Im not sure how to spell. It takes a long time to write that way "ut I only ha e to look up once and a!ter that I get it right. 8ou got to mi/ them up, she showedE meF how to mi/= them @and nowD I can= mi/ up all kindsF o! punctuation, in= my writingE ,here, are lots= o! rulesE to lernD "ut Im gettin.g them in my head. 7ne thing I like a"out, Dear #iss KinnianG @thats the way it goes in a "usiness letter i! I e er go into "usinessA is she, always gi es me. a reasonF when--I ask. She.s a gen.ius= I wish I cou.d "e smartF like, herD @5unctuation, isD !un=A

)pr 1< *hat a dope I am= I didn.t e en understand what she was talking a"out. I read the grammar "ook last night and it e/planes the whole thing. ,hen I saw it was the same way as #iss Kinnian was trying to tell me, "ut I didn.t get it. #iss Kinnian said that the ,- working in my sleep helped out.

She and I reached a plateau. ,hats a !lat hill. )!ter I !igured out how punctuation worked, I read o er all my old 5rogress 6eports !rom the "eginning. 1oy, did I ha e cra3y spelling and punctuation= I told #iss Kinnian I ought to go o er the pages and !i/ all the mistakes "ut she said, F0o, $harlie, Dr. 0emur wants them Bust as they are. ,hat.s why he let you keep them a!ter they were photostated, to see your own progress. 8ou.re coming along !ast, $harlie.F ,hat made me !eel good. )!ter the lesson I went down and played with )lgernon. *e don.t race any more.

)pril (: I !eel sick inside. 0ot sick like !or a doctor, "ut inside my chest it !eels empty like getting punched and a heart"urn at the same time. I wasn.t going to write a"out it, "ut I guess I got to, "ecause its important. ,oday was the !irst time I e er stayed home !rom work. 2ast night Coe $arp and 9rank 6eilly in ited me to a party. ,here were lots o! girls and some men !rom the !actory. I remem"ered how sick I got last time I drank too much, so I told Coe I didn.t want anything to drink. +e ga e me a plain coke instead. *e had a lot o! !un !or a while. Coe said I should dance with 4llen and she would teach me the steps. I !ell a !ew times and I couldn.t understand why "ecause no one else was dancing "esides 4llen and me. )nd all the time I was tripping "ecause some"ody.s !oot was always sticking out. ,hen when I got up I saw the look on Coe.s !ace and it ga e me a !unny !eeling in my stomack. F+e.s a scream,F one o! the girls said. 4 ery"ody was laughing. F2ook at him. +e.s "lushing. $harlie is "lushing.F F+ey, 4llen, what.d you do to $harlieE I ne er saw him act like that "e!ore.F I didn.t know what to do or where to turn. 4 eryone was looking at me and laughing and I !elt naked. I wanted to hide. I ran outside and I threw up. ,hen I walked home. It.s a !unny thing I ne er knew that Coe and 9rank and the others liked to ha e me around all the time to make !un o! me. 0ow I know what it means when they say Fto pull a $harlie %ordon.F I.m ashamed. progress report 11 )pril (1 Still didn.t go into the !actory. I told #rs. 9lynn my landlady to call and tell #r. Donnegan I was sick. #rs. 9lynn looks

at me ery !unny lately like she.s scared. I think it.s a good thing a"out !inding out how e ery"ody laughs at me. I thought a"out it a lot. It.s "ecause I.m so dum" and I don.t e en know when I.m doing something dum". 5eople think it.s !unny when a dum" person can.t do things the same way they can. )nyway, now I know I.m getting smarter e ery day. I know punctuation and I can spell good. I like to look up all the hard words in the dictionary and I remem"er them. I.m reading a lot now, and #iss Kinnian says I read ery !ast. Sometimes I e en understand what I.m reading a"out, and it stays in my mind. ,here are times when I can close my eyes and think o! a page and it all comes "ack like a picture. 1esides history, geography and arithmetic, #iss Kinnian said I should start to learn !oreign languages. Dr. Strauss ga e me some more tapes to play while I sleep. I still don.t understand how that conscious and unconscious mind works, "ut Dr. Strauss says not to worry yet. +e asked me to promise that when I start learning college su"Bects ne/t week I wouldn.t read any "ooks on psychology-that is, until he gi es me permission. I !eel a lot "etter today, "ut I guess I.m still a little angry that all the time people were laughing and making !un o! me "ecause I wasn.t so smart. *hen I "ecome intelligent like Dr. Strauss says, with three times my I.H. o! 6<, then may"e I.ll "e like e eryone else and people will like me. I.m not sure what an I.H. is, Dr. 0emur said it was something that measured how intelligent you were--like a scale in the drugstore weighs pounds. 1ut Dr. Strauss had a "ig argument with him and said an I.H. didn.t weigh intelligence at all. +e said an I.H. showed how much intelligence you could get, like the num"ers on the outside o! a measuring cup. 8ou still had to !ill the cup up with stu!!. ,hen when I asked 1urt, who gi es me my intelligence tests and works with )lgernon, he said that "oth o! them were wrong @only I had to promise not to tell them he said soA. 1urt says that the I.H. measures a lot o! di!!erent things including some o! the things you learned already, and it really isn.t any good at all. So I still don.t know what I.H. is e/cept that mine is going to "e o er (:: soon. I didn.t want to say anything, "ut I don.t see how i! they don.t know what it is, or where it is--I don.t see how they know how much o! it you. e got. Dr. 0emur says I ha e to take a 6orshach ,est tomorrow. I wonder what that is. )pril (( I !ound out what a 6orshach is. It.s the test I took "e!ore

the operation--the one with the ink"lots on the pieces o! card"oard. I was scared to death o! those ink"lots. I knew the man was going to ask me to !ind the pictures and I knew I couldn.t. I was thinking to mysel!, i! only there was some way o! knowing what kind o! pictures were hidden there. #ay"e there weren.t any pictures at all. #ay"e it was Bust a trick to see i! I was dum" enough to look !or something that wasn.t there. Cust thinking a"out that made me sore at him. F)ll right, $harlie,F he said, Fyou. e seen these cards "e!ore. remem"erEF F7! course I remem"er.F ,he way I said it, he knew I was angry, and he looked surprised. F8es, o! course. 0ow I want you to look at this. *hat might this "eE *hat do you see on this cardE 5eople see all sorts o! things in these ink"lots. ,ell me what it might "e !or you-what it makes you think o!.F I was shocked. ,hat wasn.t what I had e/pected him to say. F8ou mean there are no pictures hidden in those ink"lotsEF +e !rowned and took o!! his glasses. F*hatEF F5ictures. +idden in the ink"lots. 2ast time you told me e eryone could see them and you wanted me to !ind them too.F +e e/plained to me that the last time he had used almost the e/act same words he was using now. I didn.t "elie e it, and I still ha e the suspicion that he misled me at the time Bust !or the !un o! it. Inless--I don.t know any more--could I ha e "een that !ee"lemindedE *e went through the cards slowly. 7ne looked like a pair o! "ats tugging at something. )nother one looked like two men !encing with swords. I imagined all sorts o! things. I guess I got carried away. 1ut I didn.t trust him any more, and I kept turning them around, e en looking on the "ack to see i! there was anything there I was supposed to catch. *hile he was making his notes, I peeked out o! the corner o! my eye to read it. 1ut it was all in code that looked like thisG *9J) Dd9-)d orig. *9-) S9 J o"B ,he test still doesn.t make sense to me. It seems to me that anyone could make up lies a"out things that they didn.t really imagineE #ay"e I.ll understand it when Dr. Strauss lets me read up on psychology.

)pril (5 I !igured out a new way to line up the machines in the !actory, and #r. Donnegan says it will sa e him ten thousand dollars a year in la"or and increased production. +e ga e me a K(5 "onus. I wanted to take Coe $arp and 9rank 6eilly out to lunch to cele"rate, "ut Coe said he had to "uy some things !or his wi!e, and 9rank said he was meeting his cousin !or lunch. I guess it.ll take a little time !or them to get used to the changes in me. 4 ery"ody seems to "e !rightened o! me. *hen I went o er to )mos 1org and tapped him, he Bumped up in the air. 5eople don.t talk to me much any more or kid around the way they used to. It makes the Bo" kind o! lonely.

)pril (' I got up the ner e today to ask #iss Kinnian to ha e dinner with me tomorrow night to cele"rate my "onus. )t !irst she wasn.t sure it was right, "ut I asked Dr. Strauss and he said it was okay. Dr. Strauss and Dr. 0emur don.t seem to "e getting along so well. ,hey.re arguing all the time. ,his e ening I heard them shouting. Dr. 0emur was saying that it was his e/periment and his research, and Dr. Strauss shouted "ack that he contri"uted Bust as much, "ecause he !ound me through #iss Kinnian and he per!ormed the operation. Dr. Strauss said that someday thousands o! neuro-surgeons might "e using his techni>ue all o er the world. Dr. 0emur wanted to pu"lish the results o! the e/periment at the end o! the month. Dr. Strauss wanted to wait a while to "e sure. Dr. Strauss said Dr. 0emur was more interested in the $hair o! 5sychology at 5rinceton than he was in the e/periment. Dr. 0emur said Dr. Strauss was nothing "ut an opportunist trying to ride to glory on his coattails. *hen I le!t a!terwards, I !ound mysel! trem"ling. I don.t know why !or sure, "ut it was as i! I.d seen "oth men clearly !or the !irst time. I remem"er hearing 1urt say Dr. 0emur had a shrew o! a wi!e who was pushing him all the time to get things pu"lished so he could "ecome !amous. 1urt said that the dream o! her li!e was to ha e a "ig shot hus"and.

)pril (< I don.t understand why I ne er noticed how "eauti!ul #iss Kinnian really is. She has "rown eyes and !eathery "rown hair that comes to the top o! her neck. She.s only thirty-!our= I think !rom the "eginning I had the !eeling that she was an unreacha"le genius--and ery, ery old. 0ow, e ery time I see her she grows

younger and more lo ely. *e had dinner and a long talk. *hen she said I was coming along so !ast I.d "e lea ing her "ehind, I laughed. FIt.s true, $harlie. 8ou.re already a "etter reader than I am. 8ou can read a whole page at a glance while I can take in only a !ew lines at a time. )nd you remem"er e ery single thing you read. I.m lucky i! I can recall the main thoughts and the general meaning.F FI don.t !eel intelligent. ,here are so many things I don.t understand.F She took out a cigarette and I lit it !or her. F8ou. e got to "e a little patient. 8ou.re accomplishing in days and weeks what it takes normal people to do in a li!etime. ,hat.s what makes it so ama3ing. 8ou.re like a giant sponge now, soaking things in. 9acts, !igures, general knowledge. )nd soon you.ll "egin to connect them, too. 8ou.ll see how di!!erent "ranches o! learning are related. ,here are many le els, $harlie, like steps on a giant ladder that take you tip higher and higher to see more and more o! the world around yoti. FI can see only a little "it o! that, $harlie, and I won.t go much higher than I am now, "ut you.ll keep clim"ing up and up, and see more and more, and each step will open new worlds that you ne er e en knew e/isted.F She !rowned. FI hope . . . I Bust hope to %od--F F*hatEF F0e er mind, $harles. I Bust hope I wasn.t wrong to ad ise you to go into this in the !irst place.F I laughed. F+ow could that "eE It worked, didn.t itE 4 en )lgernon is still smart.F *e sat there silently !or a while and I knew what she was thinking a"out as she watched me toying with the chain o! my ra""it.s !oot and my keys. I didn.t want to think o! that possi"ility any more than elderly people want to think o! death. I knew that this was only the "eginning. I knew what she meant a"out le els "ecause I.d seen some o! them already. ,he thought o! lea ing her "ehind made me sad. I.m in lo e with #iss Kinnian.

progress report 1( )pril &: I. e >uit my Bo" with Donnegan.s 5lastic 1o/ $ompany. #r. Donnegan insisted it would "e "etter !or all concerned i! I le!t. *hat did I do to make them hate me soE ,he !irst I knew o! it was when #r. Donnegan showed me the petition. 4ight hundred names, e eryone in the !actory, e/cept 9anny %irden. Scanning the list >uickly, I saw at once that hers was

the only missing name. )ll the rest demanded that I "e !ired. Coe $arp and 9rank 6eilly wouldn.t talk to me a"out it. 0o one else would either, e/cept 9anny. She was one o! the !ew people I.d known who set her mind to something and "elie ed it no matter what the rest o! the world pro ed, said or did-and 9anny did not "elie e that I should ha e "een !ired. She had "een against the petition on principle and despite the pressure and threats she.d held out. F*hich don.t mean to say,F she remarked, Fthat I don.t think there.s something mighty strange a"out you, $harlie. ,hem changes. I don.t know. 8ou used to "e a good, dependa"le, ordinary man--not too "right may"e, "ut honest. *ho knows what you done to yoursel! to get so smart all o! a sudden. 2ike e ery"ody around here.s "een saying, $harlie, it.s not right.F F1ut how can you say that, 9annyE *hat.s wrong with a man "ecoming intelligent and wanting to ac>uire knowledge and understanding o! the world around himEF She stared down at her work and I turned to lea e. *ithout looking at me, she saidG FIt was e il when 4 e listened to the snake and ate !rom the tree o! knowledge. It was e il when she saw that she was naked. I! not !or that none o! us would e er ha e to grow old and sick, and die.F 7nce again, now, I ha e the !eeling o! shame "urning inside me. ,his intelligence has dri en a wedge "etween me and all the people I once knew and lo ed. 1e!ore, they laughed at me and despised me !or my ignorance and dullnessD now, they hate me !or my knowledge and understanding. *hat in %od.s name do they want o! meE ,hey. e dri en me out o! the !actory. 0ow I.m more alone than e er "e!ore. .

#ay. 15 Dr. Strauss is ery angry at me !or not ha ing written any progress reports in two weeks. +e.s Busti!ied "ecause the la" is now paying me a regular salary. I told him I was too "usy thinking and reading. *hen I pointed out that writing was such a slow process that it makes me impatient with my poor handwriting, he suggested I learn to type. It.s much easier to write now "ecause I can type se enty-!i e words a minute. Dr. Strauss continually reminds me o! the need to speak and write simply so people will "e a"le to understand me. I.ll try to re iew all the things that happened to me during the last two weeks. )lgernon and I were presented to the )merican 5sychological )ssociation sitting in con ention with the *orld

5sychological )ssociation. *e created >uite a sensation. Dr. 0emur and Dr. Strauss were proud o! us. I suspect that Dr. 0emur, who is si/ty--ten years older than Dr. Strauss--!inds it necessary to see tangi"le results o! his work. Indou"tedly the result o! pressure "y #rs. 0emur. $ontrary to my earlier impressions o! him, I reali3e that Dr. 0emur is not at all a genius. +e has a ery good mind, "ut it struggles tinder the spectre o! sel!-dou"t. +e wants people to take him !or a genius. ,here!ore, it is important !or him to !eel that his work is accepted "y the world. I "elie e that Dr. 0emur was a!raid o! !urther delay "ecause he worried that someone else might make a disco ery along these lines and take the credit !rom him. Dr. Strauss on the other hand might "e called a genius, although I !eel that his areas o! knowledge are too limited. +e was educated in the tradition o! narrow speciali3ationD the "roader aspects o! "ackground were neglected !ar more than necessary-e en !or a neurosurgeon. I was shocked to learn that the only ancient languages he could read were 2atin, %reek, and +e"rew, and that he knows almost nothing o! mathematics "eyond the elementary le els o! the calculus o! ariations. *hen he admitted this to me, I !ound mysel! almost annoyed. It was as i! he.d hidden this part o! himsel! in order to decei e me, pretending--as do many people I. e disco ered--to "e what he is not. 0o one I. e e er known is what he appears to "e on the sur!ace. Dr. 0emur appears to "e uncom!orta"le around me. Sometimes when I try to talk to him, he Bust looks at me strangely and turns away. I was angry at !irst when Dr. Strauss told me I was gi ing Dr. 0emur an in!eriority comple/. I thought he was mocking me and I.m o ersensiti e at "eing made !un o!. +ow was I to know that a highly respected psychoe/perimentalist like 0emur was unac>uainted with +industani and $hineseE It.s a"surd when you consider the work that is "eing done in India and $hina today in the ery !ield o! his study. I asked Dr. Strauss how 0emur could re!ute 6ahaBamati.s attack on his method and results i! 0emur couldn.t e en read them in the !irst place. ,hat strange look on Dr. Strauss. !ace can mean only one o! two things. 4ither he doesn.t want to tell 0emur what they.re saying in India, or else--and this worries me--Dr. Strauss doesn.t know either. I must "e care!ul to speak and write clearly and simply so that people won.t laugh.

#ay 1< I am ery distur"ed. I saw #iss Kinn ian last night !or the

!irst time in o er a week. I tried to a oid all discussions o! intellectual concepts and to keep the con ersation on a simple, e eryday le el, "ut she Bust stared at me "lankly and asked me what I meant a"out the mathematical ariance e>ui alent in Dor"ermann s 9i!th $oncerto. *hen I tried to e/plain she stopped me and laughed. I guess I got angry, "ut I suspect I.m approaching her on the wrong le el. 0o matter what I try to discuss with her, I am una"le to communicate. I must re iew -rostadt.s e>uations on 2e els o! Semantic 5rogression. I !ind that I don.t communicate with people much any more. ,hank %od !or "ooks and music and things I can think a"out. I am alone in my apartment at #rs. 9lynn.s "oardinghouse most o! the time and seldom speak to anyone.

#ay (: I would not ha e noticed the new dishwasher, a "oy. o! a"out si/teen, at the corner diner where I take my e ening meals i! not !or the incident o! the "roken dishes. ,hey crashed to the !loor, shattering and sending "its o! white china under the ta"les. ,he "oy stood there, da3ed and !rightened, holding the empty tray in his hand. ,he whistles and catcalls !rom the customers @the cries o! Fhey, there go the pro!its=F . F#a3elto =F. . . and Fwell, he didn.t work here ery long which in aria"ly seem to !ollow the "reaking o! glass or dishware in a pu"lic restaurantA all seemed to con!use him. *hen the owner came to see what the e/citement was a"out, the "oy cowered as i! he e/pected to "e struck and threw up his arms as i! to ward o!! the "low. F)ll right= )ll right, you dope,F shouted the owner, Fdon.t Bust stand there= %et the "room and sweep that mess up. ) "room . . . a "room, you idiot= It.s in the kitchen. Sweep up all the pieces.F ,he "oy saw that he was not going to "e punished. +is !rightened e/pression disappeared and he smiled and hummed as he came "ack with the "room to sweep the !loor. ) !ew o! the rowdier customers kept up the remarks, amusing themsel es at his e/pense. F+ere, sonny, o er here there.s a nice piece "ehind you....F F$.mon, do it again.F F+e.s not so dum". It.s easier to "reak.em than to wash.em. . .F )s his acant eyes mo ed across the crowd o! amused onlookers, he slowly mirrored their smiles and !inally "roke into an uncertain grin at the Boke which he o" iously did not understand. I !elt sick inside as I looked at his dull, acuous smile, the wide, "right eyes o! a child, uncertain "ut eager to please. ,hey were

laughing at him "ecause he was mentally retarded. )nd I had "een laughing at him too. Suddenly, I was !urious at mysel! and all those who were smirking at him. I Bumped up and shouted, FShut up= 2ea e him alone= It.s not his !ault he can.t understand. +e can.t help what lie is= 1ut !or %od.s sake . . . he.s still a human "eing=F ,he room grew silent. I cursed mysel! !or losing control and creating a scene. I tried not to look at the "oy as I paid my check and walked out without touching my !ood. I !elt ashamed !or "oth o! us. +ow strange it is that people o! honest !eelings and sensi"ility, who would not take ad antage o! a man "orn without arms or legs or eyes--how such people think nothing o! a"using a man "orn with low intelligence. It in!uriated me to think that not too long ago, I like this "oy, had !oolishly played the clown. )nd I had almost !orgotten. I.d hidden the picture o! the old $harlie %ordon !rom mysel! "ecause now that I was intelligent it was something that had to "e pushed out o! my mind. 1ut today in looking at that "oy, !or the !irst time I saw what I had "een. I was Bust like him= 7nly a short time ago, I learned that people laughed at me. 0ow I can see that unknowingly I Boined with them in laughing at mysel!. ,hat hurts most o! all. I ha e o!ten reread my progress reports and seen the illiteracy, the childish nai ete, the mind o! low intelligence peering !rom a dark room, through the keyhole, at the da33ling light outside. I see that e en in my dullness I knew that I was in!erior, and that other people had something I lacked-something denied me. In my mental "lindness, I thought that it was somehow connected with the a"ility to read and write, and I was sure that i! I could get those skills I would automatically ha e intelligence too. 4 en a !ee"le-minded man wants to "e like other men. ) child may not know how to !eed itsel!, or what to eat, yet it knows o! hunger. ,his then is what I was like, I ne er knew. 4 en with my gi!t o! intellectual awareness, I ne er really knew. ,his day was good !or me. Seeing the past more clearly, I ha e decided to use my knowledge and skills to work in the !ield o! increasing human intelligence le els. *ho is "etter e>uipped !or this workE *ho else has li ed in "oth worldsE ,hese are my people. 2et me use my gi!t to do something !or them. ,omorrow, I will discuss with Dr. Strauss the manner in which I can work in this area. I may "e a"le to help him work out the pro"lems o! widespread use o! the techni>ue which was used on me. I ha e se eral good ideas o! my own.

,here is so much that might "e done with this techni>ue. I! I could "e made into a genius, what a"out thousands o! others like mysel!E *hat !antastic le els might "e achie ed "y using this techni>ue on normal peopleE 7r geniusesE ,here are so many doors to open. I am impatient to "egin.

progress report 1& #ay (& It happened today. )lgernon "it me. I isited the la" to see him as I do occasionally, and when I took him out o! his cage, he snapped at my hand. I put him "ack and watched him !or a while. +e was unusually distur"ed and icious.

#ay (; 1urt, who is in charge o! the e/perimental animals, tells me that )lgernon is changing. +e is less co-operati eD he re!uses to run the ma3e any moreD general moti ation has decreased. )nd he hasn.t "een eating. 4 eryone is upset a"out what this may mean.

#ay (5 ,hey. e "een !eeding )lgernon, who now re!uses to work the shi!ting-lock pro"lem. 4 eryone identi!ies me with )lgernon. in a way we.re "oth the !irst o! our kind. ,hey.re all pretending that )lgernon.s "eha ior is not necessarily signi!icant !or me. 1ut it.s hard to hide the !act that some o! the other animals who were used in this e/periment are showing strange "eha ior. Dr. Strauss and Dr. 0emur ha e asked me not to come to the la" any more. I know what they.re thinking "ut I can.t accept it. I am going ahead with my plans to carry their research !orward. *ith all due respect to "oth o! these !ine scientists, l am well aware o! their limitations. I! there is an answer, I.ll ha e to !ind it out !or mysel!. Suddenly, time has "ecome ery important to me.

#ay (9 I ha e "een gi en a la" o! my own and permission to go ahead with the research. I.m on to something. *orking day and night. I. e had a cot mo ed into the la". #ost o! my writing time is spent on the notes which I keep in a separate !older, "ut !rom time to time I !eel it necessary to put down my moods and my thoughts out o! sheer ha"it. I !ind the calculus o! intelligence to "e a !ascinating study. +ere is the place !or the application o! all the knowledge I ha e ac>uired. In a sense it.s the pro"lem I. e "een concerned with all my li!e.

#ay &1 Dr. Strauss thinks I.m working too hard. Dr. 0emur says I.m trying to cram a li!etime o! research and thought into a !ew weeks. I know I should rest, "ut I.m dri en on "y something inside that won.t let me stop. I. e got to !ind the reason !or the sharp regression in )lgernon. I. e got to know i! and when it will happen to me.

Cune ; 24,,46 ,7 D6. S,6)ISS @copyA Dear Dr. StraussG Inder separate co er I am sending you a copy o! my report entitled, F,he )lgernon-%ordon 4!!ectG ) Study o! Structure and 9unction o! Increased Intelligence,F which I would like to ha e you read and ha e pu"lished. )s you see, my e/periments are completed. I ha e included in my report all o! my !ormulae, as well as mathematical analysis in the appendi/. 7! course, these should "e eri!ied. 1ecause o! its importance to "oth you and Dr. 0emur @and need I say to mysel!, tooEA I ha e checked and rechecked my results a do3en times in the hope o! !inding an error. I am sorry to say the results must stand. 8et !or the sake o! science, I am grate!ul !or the little "it that I here add to the knowledge o! the !unction o! the human mind and o! the laws go erning the arti!icial increase o! human intelligence. I recall your once saying to me that an e/perimental !ailure or the dispro ing o! a theory was as important to the ad ancement o! learning as a success would "e. I know now that this is true. I am sorry, howe er, that my own contri"ution to the !ield must rest upon the ashes o! the work o! two men I regard so highly. 8ours truly, $harles %ordon encl.Grept.

Cune 5 I must not "ecome emotional. ,he !acts and the results o! my e/periments are clear, and the more sensational aspects o! my own rapid clim" cannot o"scure the !act that the tripling o! intelligence "y the surgical techni>ue de eloped "y Drs. Strauss

and 0emur must "e iewed as ha ing little or no practical applica"ility @at the present timeA to the increase o! human intelligence. )s I re iew the records and data on )lgernon, I see that although he is still in his physical in!ancy, he has regressed mentally. #otor acti ity is impairedD there is a general reduction o! glandular acti ityD there is an accelerated loss o! co-ordination. ,here are also strong indications o! progressi e amnesia. )s will "e seen "y my report, these and other physical and mental deterioration syndromes can "e predicted with statistically signi!icant results "y the application o! my !ormula. ,he surgical stimulus to which we were "oth su"Bected has resulted in an intensi!ication and acceleration o! all mental processes. ,he un!oreseen de elopment, which I ha e taken the li"erty o! calling the )lgernon-%ordon 4!!ect, is the logical e/tension o! the entire intelligence speed-up. ,he hypothesis here pro en may "e descri"ed simply in the !ollowing termsG )rti!icially increased intelligence deteriorates at a rate o! time directly proportional to the >uantity o! the increase. I !eel that this, in itsel!, is an important disco ery. )s long as I am a"le to write, I will continue to record my thoughts in these progress reports. It is one o! my !ew pleasures. +owe er, "y all indications, my own mental deterioration will "e ery rapid. I ha e already "egun to notice signs o! emotional insta"ility and !orget!ulness, the !irst symptoms o! the "urnout. Cune 1: Deterioration progressing. I ha e "ecome a"sentminded. )lgernon died two days ago. Dissection shows my predictions were right. +is "rain had decreased in weight and there was a general smoothing out o! cere"ral con olutions as well as a deepening and "roadening o! "rain !issures. I guess the same thing is or will soon "e happening to me. 0ow that it.s de!inite, I don.t want it to happen. I put )lgernon.s "ody in a cheese "o/ and "uried him in the "ack yard. I cried.

Cune 15 Dr. Strauss came to see me again. I wouldn.t open the door and I told him to go away. I want to "e le!t to mysel!. I ha e "ecome touchy and irrita"le. I !eel the darkness closing in. It.s hard to throw o!! thoughts o! suicide. I keep telling mysel! how important this introspecti e Bournal will "e. It.s a strange sensation to pick up a "ook that you. e read and enBoyed Bust a !ew months ago and disco er that you don.t remem"er

it. I remem"ered how great I thought Cohn #ilton was, "ut when I picked up 5aradise 2ost I couldn.t understand it at all. I got so angry I threw the "ook across the room. I. e got to try to hold on to some o! it. Some o! the things I. e learned. 7h, %od, please don.t take it all away.

Cune 19 Sometimes, at night, I go out !or a walk. 2ast night I couldn.t remem"er where I li ed. ) policeman took me home. I ha e the strange !eeling that this has all happened to me "e!ore--a long time ago. I keep telling mysel! I.m the only person in the world who can descri"e what.s happening to me.

Cune (1 *hy can.t I remem"erE I. e got to !ight. I lie in "ed !or days and I don.t know who or where I am. ,hen it all comes "ack to me in a !lash. 9ugues o! amnesia. Symptoms o! senility--second childhood. I can watch them coming on. It.s so cruelly logical. I learned so much and so !ast. 0ow my mind is deteriorating rapidly. I won.t let it happen. I.ll !ight it. I can.t help thinking o! the "oy in the restaurant, the "lank e/pression, the silly smile, the people laughing at him. 0o--please--not that again. . . Cune (( I.m !orgetting things that I learned recently. It seems to "e !ollowing the classic pattern--the last things learned are the !irst things !orgotten. 7r is that the patternE I.d "etter look it up again.... I reread my paper on the )lgemon-%ordon 4!!ect and I get the strange !eeling that it was written "y someone else. ,here are parts I don.t e en understand. #otor acti ity impaired. I keep tripping o er things, and it "ecomes increasingly di!!icult to type.

Cune (& I. e gi en up using the typewriter completely. #y coordination is "ad. I !eel that I.m mo ing slower and slower. +ad a terri"le shock today. I picked up a copy o! an article I used in my research, Krueger.s I"er 5sychische %an3heit, to see i! it would help me understand what I had done. 9irst I thought there was something wrong with my eyes. ,hen I reali3ed I could no longer read %erman. I tested mysel! in other languages. )ll gone.

Cune &: ) week since I dared to write again. It.s slipping away like

sand through my !ingers. #ost o! the "ooks I ha e are too hard !or me now. I get angry with them "ecause I know that I read and understood them Bust a !ew weeks ago. I keep telling mysel! I must keep writing these reports so that some"ody will know what is happening to me. 1ut it gets harder to !orm the words and remem"er spellings. I ha e to look up e en simple words in the dictionary now and it makes me impatient with mysel!. Dr. Strauss comes around almost e ery day, "ut I told him I wouldn.t see or speak to any"ody. +e !eels guilty. ,hey all do. 1ut I don.t "lame anyone. I knew what might happen. 1ut how it hurts.

Culy ' 1 don.t know where the week went. ,odays Sunday I know "ecause I can see through my window people going to church. I think I stayed in "ed all week "ut I remem"er #rs. 9lynn "ringing !ood to me a !ew times. I keep saying o er and o er I e got to do something "ut then I !orget or may"e its Bust easier not to do what I say Im going to do. I think o! my mother and !ather a lot these days. I !ound a picture o! them with me taken at a "each. #y !ather has a "ig "all under his arm and my mother is holding me "y the hand. I dont remem"er them the way they are in the picture. )ll I remem"er is my !ather drunk most o! the time and arguing with mom a"out money. +e ne er sha ed much and he used to scratch my !ace when he hugged me. #y mother said he died "ut $ousin #iltie said he heard his mom and dad say that my !ather ran away with another woman. *hen I asked my mother she slapped my !ace and said my !ather was dead. I don.t think I e er !ound out which was true "ut I don.t care much. @+e said he was going to take me to see cows on a !arm once "ut he ne er did. +e ne er kept his promises. . .A

Culy 1: #y landlady #rs 9lynn is ery worried a"out me. She says the way I lay around all day and dont do anything I remind her o! her son "e!ore she threw him out o! the house. She said she doesnt like loa!ers. I! Im sick its one thing, "ut i! Im a loa!er thats another thing and she wont ha e it. I told her I think Im sick. I try to read a little "it e ery day, mostly stories, "ut sometimes I ha e to read the same thing o er and o er again "ecause I dont know what it means. )nd its hard to write. I know I should look up all the words in the dictionary "ut its so hard and Im so tired all the time. ,hen I got the idea that I would only use the easy words instead

o! the long hard ones. ,hat sa es time. I put !lowers on )lgernons gra e a"out once a week. #rs 9lynn thinks I.m cra3y to put !lowers on a mouses gra e "ut I told her that )lgernon was special.

Culy 1; Its sunday again. I dont ha e anything to do to keep me "usy now "ecause my tele ision set is "roke and I dont ha e any money to get it !i/ed. @I think I lost this months check !rom the la". I dont remem"erA I get aw!ul headaches and asperin doesnt help me much. #rs 9lynn knows Im really sick and she !eels ery sorry !or me. Shes a wonder!ul woman whene er someone is sick.

Culy(( #rs 9lynn called a strange doctor to see me. She was a!raid I was going to die. I told the doctor I wasnt too sick and that I only !orget sometimes. +e asked me did I ha e any !riends or relati es and I said no I dont ha e any. I told him I had a !riend called )lgernon once "ut he was a mouse and we used to run races together. +e looked at me kind o! !unny like he thought I was cra3y. +e smiled when I told him I used to "e a genius. +e talked to me like I was a "a"y and he winked at #rs 9lynn. I got mad and chased him out "ecause he was making !un o! me the way they all used to.

Culy (; I ha e no more money and #rs. 9lynn says I got to go to work somewhere and pay the rent "ecause I ha ent paid !or o er two months. I dont know any work "ut the Bo" I used to ha e at Donnegans 5lastic 1o/ $ompany. I dont want to go "ack there "ecause they all knew me when I was smart and may"e theyll laugh at me. 1ut I dont know what else to do to get money.

Culy (5 I was looking at some o! my old progress reports and its ery !unny "ut I cant read what I wrote. I can make out some o! the words "ut they dont make sense. #iss Kinnian came to the door "ut I said go away I dont want to see you. She cried and I cried too "ut I wouldn.t let her in "ecause I didn.t want her to laugh at me. I told her I didn.t like her any more. I told her I didn.t want to "e smart any more. ,hats not true. I still lo e her and I still want to "e smart "ut I had to say that so shed go away. She ga e #rs 9lynn money to pay the rent. I dont want that. I got to get a Bo".

5lease . . . please let me not !orget how to read and write. .

Culy (' #r Donnegan was ery nice when I came "ack and asked him !or my old Bo" o! Banitor. 9irst he was ery suspicious "ut I told him what happened to me then he looked ery sad and put his hand on my shoulder and said $harlie %ordon you got guts. 4 ery"ody looked at me when I came downstairs and started working in the toilet sweeping it out like I used to. I told mysel! $harlie i! they make !un o! you dont get sore "ecause you remem"er their not so smart as you once thot they were. )nd "esides they were once your !riends and i! they laughed at you that doesnt mean anything "ecause they liked you too. 7ne o! the new men who came to work there a!ter I went away made a nasty crack he said hey $harlie I hear your a ery smart !ella a real >ui3 kid. Say something intelligent. I !elt "ad "ut Coe $arp came o er and gra""ed him "y the shirt and said lea e him alone you lousy cracker or Ill "reak your neck. I didnt e/pect Coe to take my part so I guess hes really my !riend. 2ater 9rank 6eilly came o er and said $harlie i! any"ody "others you or trys to take ad antage you call me or Coe and we will set em straight. I said thanks 9rank and I got choked up so I had to turn around and go into the supply room so he wouldnt see me cry. Its good to ha e !riends.

Culy (< I did a dum" thing today I !orgot I wasnt in #iss Kinnians class at the adult center any more like I used to "e. I went in and sat down in my old seat in the "ack o! the room and she looked at me !unny and she said $harles. I dint remem"er she e er called me that "e!ore only $harlie so I said hello #iss Kinnian Im redy !or my lesin today only I lost my reader that we was using. She startid to cry and run out o! the room and e ery"ody looked at me and I saw they wasnt the same pepul who used to "e in my class. ,hen all o! a sudden I remem"ered some things a"out the operashun and me getting smart and I said holy smoke I reely pulled a $harlie %ordon that time. I went away "e!ore she come "ack to the room. ,hats why Im going away !rom 0ew 8ork !or good. I dont want to do nothing like that agen. I dont want #iss Kinnian to !eel sorry !or me. 4 ry "ody !eels sorry at the !actery and I dont want that eather so Im going someplace where no"ody knows that $harlie %ordon was once a genus and now he cant e en reed a "ook or rite good.

Im taking a cuple o! "ooks along and e en i! I cant reed them Ill practise hard and may"e I wont !orget e ery thing I lerned. I! I try reel hard may"e Ill "e a littel "it smarter than I was "e!ore the operashun. I got my ra"its !oot and my luky penny and may."e they will help me. I! you e er reed this #iss Kinnian dont "e sorry !or me Im glad I got a second chanse to "e smart "ecaus I lerned a lot o! things that I ne er e en new were in this world and Im grate!ul that I saw it all !or a little "it. I dont know why Im dum" agen or what I did wrong may"e its "ecaus I dint try hard enu!!. 1ut i! I try and practis ery hard may"e Ill get a little smarter and know what all the words are. I remem"er a littel "it how nice I had a !eeling with the "lue "ook that has the torn co er when I red it. ,hats why Im gonna keep trying to get smart so I can ha e that !eeling agen. Its a good !eeling to know things and "e smart. I wish I had it rite now i! I did I would sit down and reed all the time. )nyway I "et Im the !irst dum" person in the world who e er !ound out something importent !or sience. I remem"er I did something "ut I dont remem"er what. So I gess its like I did it !or all the dum" pepul like me. %ood-"y #iss Kinnian and Dr Strauss and e rey"ody. )nd 5.S. please tell Dr 0emur not to "e such a grouch when pepul la!! at him and he would ha e more !rends. Its easy to make !rends i! you let pepul la!! at you. Im going to ha e lots o! !rends where I go. 5.5.S. 5lease i! you get a chanse put some !lowrs on )lgernons gra e in the "ak yard....