200With his bright green skin and big red eyes, this little fella is the only amphibian in the whole prison, and his striking appearance certainly makes him stand out from the crowd. When you first approached him, he showed a lot of resistance. However, once he explained, you understood that he was not being hostile; he simply did not want to accidentally hurt you with his poisonous skin. Although dangerous on the outside, could this tree frog be one of the few good guys in the joint?
Gray was a pharmaceutical salesman before he was incarcerated. But perhaps because of his appearance, his superiors never liked him very much, and assigned him to the outskirts sales territory. This was every salesman's worst nightmare, as his company's products were very expensive, far beyond what the poor residents of the outskirts could afford.
Gray's dismal sales performance resulted in a pitifully low income. His pregnant wife's due date was fast approaching, but they could not afford to rent a tadpole hatchery. The thought that they might have to raise their babies in the bathtub filled him with worry.
His money worries made Gray work even harder, and he started venturing into the outskirts' gang territories in an attempt to make more sales. After hearing that he was a pharmaceutical salesman, a gang member took him to a secret building.
Inside the building were row upon row of dilapidated beds with dazed patients lying on them. Someone who claimed to be a doctor told Gray that because many of the poor people in the outskirts could not afford to buy expensive medication, they would go there for shots of cheap anesthetic when they were in pain. Although this drastic measure provided short-term relief, it also accelerated the deterioration of their conditions. But what other choice did they have?
The doctor also told Gray that there are actually cheap generic drugs available abroad, which are just as effective as branded ones but at a tenth of the price. He said that the poor people at Skidroad used to rely on those generic drugs, but that the police had dismantled the city's black market two years prior, making it almost impossible to obtain them. However, he also suggested that Gray may be able to help solve this problem. His job as a pharmaceutical salesman would be the perfect cover for smuggling generic drugs into the country.
"Generic drugs may be cheap," said the doctor, "but the demand is huge. You'll make plenty of money." Of course, Gray knew that it would be against the law, but with the tadpole hatchery rent constantly on his mind, he finally agreed to do it.
Before long, the first batch of generic drugs was delivered without a hitch, and their low prices brought tears of joy to the poor residents of the outskirts. In less than a day, Gray had sold every last pill and, just as the doctor said, he made a lot of money. In the months that followed, Gray's business grew bigger and bigger. Every week, he would bring all manner of generic drugs to this area, and patients would line up around the block to buy what they needed.
The tadpole hatchery, a bigger apartment, a new car... Gray made a fortune from the venture and his family wanted for nothing, just as he had hoped. But he was not greedy, and understood the risks involved. He had started to come under suspicion from all sides and was well aware that if he did not stop, he would be caught sooner or later. So he told the doctor that he was going to quit, as he did not want his tadpoles to grow up without a father.
The doctor understood Gray's decision, but also said that the drugs were making many of the patients better, and that it would all have been for nothing if they stopped taking them. He pleaded with Gray to do one last run so that the patients could finish their treatment, or at least give them time to find someone to take his place.
The doctor's words swayed Gray, and he decided to make one last run. But just as he had feared, he was stopped at customs. Knowing that the drugs were about to be confiscated, Gray did something astonishing. He used the poison on his skin to paralyze the customs officer and escape with the medicine.
Gray took the drugs to the outskirts and gave them to the doctor. He understood that assaulting a customs officer was a serious crime, but he also knew what the drugs meant to the patients. Before Gray went to turn himself in, he said one last thing to the doctor: "I've made so much money thanks to you. Consider this a parting gift."
