The sun sets on another day…
I watched sunset pass walked outside to the beauty that surrounded me. Through the trees I could see a sparkle of light and pepper and I walked the woods as Twilight bore down upon us.
I got angry today. It didn’t matter what I got angry about, it didn’t really matter that I was angry except to me. I set the anger aside and found something else to focus on or spent a moment in silence.
I have written many stories that are either thought-provoking, thrilling, or scary depending on your point of view. A few of these focus on the definition of the word “monster”.
Now there are a lot of people who think they understand what a monster is. By definition may be no different except that it is a definition and not necessarily a rule. Some people will see a monster as a magnificent creature that will rend flesh and destroy the world. Some people will think of a monster as that person that will cause pain and suffering physically creating an abomination of the world. Some people may think that a monster is someone who crawls inside of someone’s mind and tears it asunder. That type of monster may even be a parent or someone special that says things only to cause mental anguish and pain. But what really is a monster?
To me a monster is someone who has the ability to destroy. With that in mind all of the definitions I said earlier are quite correct. Each one defines a type of monster and each one is highly accurate whether the monster is the Godzilla like creature, or someone unassuming that causes physical or mental pain. But monsters have a choice and some monsters aren’t really the monsters we believe them to be.
To some people this post may seem cryptic as I define a monster and then say a monster may not be a monster, how weird is that? It’s really not that weird. I will give you an example.
When I read the book Frankenstein and saw the movie and then another movie and then another movie, I never saw the Frankenstein monster as a monster. It is true that as a monster he is quite formidable but it is equally as true that situations created reactions and that he was a victim and should not be considered the evil that he is. It was amazing to me later as I saw many movies showing him as I saw him, an innocent given a gift beyond belief. When I red the Dean Koontz version of Frankenstein it fell into place even more as the monster there had become the hero. In the original text, the monster was not as anyone portrayed them but instead the innocent victim,
Last year I published a book called Yet Another Slice of Fear. In that book there was a story called The Drifter which aligns similar. The Drifter was aware that he was a monster but it wasn’t pain and anguish and suffering that he sought, but instead The Drifter was constantly seeking peace. As a monster the Drifter asked, “When does a monster become something different? When can a monster stop being a monster?”
To me a monster can strive against their inner self but they will always still be a monster. There always comes a point where the monster inside tries to escape. There always comes a point where the monster inside strives to be free but something else strives against that. A monster may still be a monster but that doesn’t mean they can’t choose each day to not be.
Again, I got angry today. I am well aware that I am a monster. Once again I fought against that inner demon and once again I won. I will always win and I hope that each day I am told, “You are not a monster”.
So as the sun sets on another day, if you want to good read consider reading The Drifter as part of either the anthology by Page’s Promotions called The Drifter, or by reading Yet Another Slice of Fear by Andrew Allen Smith. Both of those may give you new Vision and definition to the word monster and both of those might make your day a little more interesting. I hope you find that your day is wonderful and I hope each day you too will not be a monster. Be the best that you can be, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love life, and be you…