The Carp-Gland Search

Narbondo’s dependence on fresh carp glands turns his resurrection experiments into a sequence of thefts, failures, and improvised bargains.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Necessary Ingredient

Life from a Fish A specialized procedure Narbondo believes a gland taken from a carp is essential to his method of animating corpses. The fish becomes both laboratory material and the source of a scarce resource. Dependence creates risk The need for living or fresh carp ties the doctor’s grand claims to fragile practical conditions. His supposed command over death depends on access to an aquarium and the labor of accomplices.

Pule Enters the Oceanarium

A Theft in the Dark A clumsy heist Pule breaks into the oceanarium to steal a carp for Narbondo. A watchman and dog interrupt him, and the fish is injured as he escapes through the window. Success at a cost Narbondo extracts what he can from the damaged carp, but the weak specimen undermines the experiment. Pule’s effort serves the doctor while reinforcing their unequal partnership.

Market Carp and Failure

A Second Supply A desperate purchase Pule seeks fresh carp at Billingsgate Market after the first fish proves inadequate. Vendors exploit his confusion, and the purchase is delayed by bargaining and humiliation. An unreliable ingredient The carp do not guarantee Joanna’s restoration, and the later experiment leaves her a ruined, briefly moving body. The repeated failures expose how little control Narbondo has over the result.

During Narbondo’s early experiments

The night of Joanna’s first attempted restoration

The morning after the oceanarium theft