The Monster

Hearing a tremendous roar, the townspeople know the monster has awakened. The townspeople rush, their day has now begun. The monster is small but fierce. The townspeople try hard to please the monster, because when the beast doesn’t get what she wants, she will release a horrifying sound- a wail that could wake the dead. The townspeople cover their ears, cower, and try to get the beast to cease her shrieking wail. The sound is debilitating. They sacrifice all their food and their possessions, giving them all to the beast to please her.

The beast must be fed constantly. Pantries, refrigerators and freezers are emptied to her to keep her from releasing her wail. The monster scatters the remains of her food all around the town, but the townspeople have designated “beast vacuums.” These are four-legged hairy creatures who follow the beast to clean up her the food remains.

Stomping her feet as she goes, she destroys everything around her like a tornado, only leaving wreckage in her wake. Townspeople follow, constantly attempting to put the town back together after she leaves, but it is in vain, as she will destroy it again whenever she wants. To prevent the beast from destroying everything, the townspeople put on shows, and hold activities to entertain her.

Once the beast is worn out from her reign over the town, the high-priestess performs a ritual that puts the beast to sleep. Once the monster begins to snore, she is brought back to her cave for what the townspeople hope to be a silent night. At night the townspeople do things they once enjoyed before the beast began her reign, if they are not too tired of course. They pray for a peaceful night from the beast. But sometimes, the monster releases her wail all through the night. The townspeople work hard to get the beast to quiet down.

Every day, no matter how peaceful the night, the townspeople and the monster repeat the pattern. They feed the beast, clean after the beast, and keep the monster happy to prevent her from releasing her deadly wail. When individuals from other towns and cities ask why they do so much for the beast, or how the townspeople are able to continue doing it day after day, the townspeople say they love the beast. They love to make the monster happy. Some people don’t understand. But other towns, with other monsters, also feel this love towards their monsters. No matter how hard the work, they want to take care of their beasts. The monsters power over the people can only be described as a magical.