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The Room
Dr. Ramos’ Room is decorated quaintly. In the north wall of the main room there is a window leading to the courtyard with a small garden box hanging below. Within the box are planted a wide array of potent herbs and roots. Hanging across the window, instead of a curtain, are an equally varied assortment of harvested herbs, drying while tied to short spans of clothesline. To one side of the window lies a tall shelf and cabinet stocked with processed medicines, and no the other side, a desk with a small burner and an assortment of bottles and flasks. It seems Cristoval keeps his work all in one place.

Next to the cabinet sits Cristoval’s dresser, followed by his bed. Both are kept as if no one used them.

The south and west walls of the main room are devoted to an assortment of simple paintings. These he’ll exchange every once in awhile with fresh paintings, so descriptions of their content are irrelevant. Usually they’ll depict interesting people (or things) he has seen recently. Both walls have doors, the south door leading out of the boarding room, the west door, the kitchen. The kitchen is kept very neatly organized and smelling of fresh foods. Not a scrap of meat can be found here. Cristoval keeps himself to the same strict diet as his subject is kept. The stove, and the fascinating device referred to as the refrigerator, are set opposing each other, and a faucet is in the wall between them. (The corners of the room are filled with cabinet space.) On the south side of the kitchen is another desk, covered in what most would refer to as herbalist equipment: mortars and pestles, measuring devices. (Cristoval hates being referred to as an herbalist or alchemist, though it has been awhile since the last has been affected.)

The Subject
Salmacis is a female hyena. By human standards (or by the majority of earth’s species’ standards) the females of this family of dogs are attributed with stronger male features than the males themselves. Cristoval has concluded this has something to do with an internal imbalance brought about by the need to dominate (he has studied hyenas among many African creatures). He is unsure what he would suggest Moreau do (even were he to have a say) as far as her conversion to a human aspect. To give her any strong gender features would cause confusion in one way or another. It is an issue Cristoval regards with unease, but is relieved to have no say in.

The Sketchbook