THE SMELL OF a campfire is begging for my attention. This feels so surreal; here I am inside of Monster, and somehow I’m in a forest. There is grass and trees, maybe animals. I can hear them, but I don’t see them.
My feet adorned with my dress shoes, I pad over the forest floor. I’m following an animal trail of bent tall grass, leading to the area where a smokestack puffs into the night air.
No moon; no stars; just darkness. The only light seems to be from my green glowing skin and the fire up ahead.
“Hey, Boogeyman. How ya doing?”
I recognize the voice. MONSTER.
I’m not afraid; what else could he possibly do to me? He already ate me!
I rush forward, ready to battle some more. (Or get my arse kicked.)
There is a clearing and a fire, luxury chairs nearby, and a glamping tent. (Opulence and luxuries spilling out of the five-man monstrosity.) This is not camping. I think I see a big-screen TV in there.
“Rude.” His voice states.
I turn towards the sound, and Monster is sitting by the fire, roasting marshmallows. He is dressed like he’s going to a nightclub. He is skinny and has no muscle. He has a fauxhawk haircut with blonde tips.
I can smell some expensive aftershave or body wash. There is something travelling on the air that invades my senses.
Where is his muscle? What happened to him?
“Oh, yeah, this is just a part of me. The one you’re looking for is out there in the physical world.”
“So what? You’re his good side?”
He makes a face that mocks the question. A curled bottom lip, squinted eyes, and the movement of the head. It all said, ‘No, stupid!’
“No, Boogeyman, I thought you knew; I’m an asshole through and through.”
Come on, people don’t start out that way. What happened to this guy?
We always see these families with money and the kids with everything, and we think, ‘They must be so happy.’ They never are!
They don’t know the struggle—not being able to make rent; they don’t know cereal supper!
Furthermore, they don’t know going to work even when you are still tired from yesterday because if you don’t, you will be homeless.
They don’t know that sometimes there are the hard decisions to make, like power or food, not both.
They will say, ‘Work harder.’ The money stays the same. The thing we are missing in the beginning is opportunity.
Now I have to listen to this poor little rich boy tell me how hard his life was because he spent a lot of time alone because his parents were always working.
“… were always gone to work.” Monster says.
“You don’t say.” I reply.
He lets out a breath and stands up.
“I knew you wouldn’t get it.”
I stand up and try to push my rage into a hard spot in my stomach.
“I get it.” I reply.
He turns and looks into my eyes. A smile slides across his face.
“When he ate you, I saw all your memories.”
“You saw…”
“Yes, I did. I gotta say, I am jealous. Your mom really loved you; you could feel it. My mom forgot I sometimes existed, or at least she wanted to. I got into trouble a lot to get attention, but it never worked. They would just bribe me.”
I thought about it for a moment. It is probably why he is the way he is. He had tons of freedom, but all he wanted was his parents. I kind of feel bad for him.
HE POINTS AT ME
“Ha ha, you feel sorry for me. You dumbass, I ate you, and you’re here caring about me? What’s wrong with you?”
I stand shocked. What an arse. Why would he do that? Oh yeah, he told me this is his nature.
I wish I could just walk out of here and chain his monkey arse up!
“You want to get him? Ya gotta go to the temple and get him out of his throne.”
I blink.
“Throne?”
“Everybody has one. They say your body is your temple, but that’s a lie; it’s the soul.” He states.
“How do you know this?” I ask.
“I used to sit in it, but he pulled me out. There are many of you inhabiting your soul. He wants power. I don’t care about any of that. I just wanted everybody to leave me alone. I guess I got what I wanted because that guy is lonelier than I ever was.” He says.
“You’re telling me there is some kind of throne in that temple, and to gain control of him, all I have to do is sit in the throne?” I ask.
“Duh…”
He is such a prick.
“Let’s just be civil.” I suggest.
He grins at me, and his lazy butt finds its way back into his chair by the fire.
I stand here contemplating my options. I can’t trust him; he will betray me. Judging from what he told me earlier, there may be other versions of him in here. I have to find one I could live with.
“Where do you find someone's other selves?”
He stands up and points.
“Nah, just yankin your chain; there is no one place; they’re scattered all over.” He states.
I don’t waste another moment. My feet pound the trail, and I take off down the only other path I could find.