Short Stories

Patient Monsters

The monster slid through the undergrowth with so much of the talent of being and remaining unseen that surpassed even the most seasoned hunter of the garden business. The scaly snout sniffed the air for the distinguishable odour of the stomping beasts that dared to disturb the peace of his hollow every sunrise and sundown, sometimes in the middle of the night as well. The one that came in the night would be the bigger beast of the everyday pair.

Bumbling creatures, it thought. Bad anatomy and horrible noises they make—must remind the children. Then, it realised with a slippery jolt of its underbelly that it had none.

Following the decade-old scent trail to the corner of the walls, it basked for the rest of the long hours on the delightful warmth of the baking clay, burnt warm by ancient sunbeams. At precisely 8 o'clock that evening, a pair of click-clacks clicked and clacked its way to the front door. Knock knock.

The monster paid it no mind—three sunrises in a row would not have fazed him less. The swinging flap of wood swung open to admit the pair of click-clacks and swung shut at precisely 8 o' 2. It rested its head against the cool black tile, thoroughly enjoying the freedom of being the emperor of its domain, before the last bustling fool with fleshy sticks would return to be ruled over by his grace.

That night, under a sliver of a crescent, it watched with pale interest at the other half of its pair of subjects stumble, very unlike the monster: the graceful sliding and all, into its dwellings. The fool had twiddled its volume controls: switched it to high and left the pressure on—never will I teach that to my children. Then it remembered that it had none.

Horrible caterwauling, so dreadful that even in it relinquished its post by the entrance and inched home, curling its head underneath the rest of its bulk to shut the noise out. It had the entire plot of land to itself by the next glorious sunrise. The greenery grew out with a freedom never before allowed, and the benevolent ruler found many more creatures to befriend with hidden intents. Needless to say, the monster was quite content.

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