Frankenstein

CHAPTER 6: Success and Failure

One night, the rain fell steadily outsidde the windows of my laboratory. The cold November air chilled me to the bone. I could hardly believe it myself, but I was finished. I collected the instruments around me and tried to bring the creature to life. Mu candle was nearly burnt down. I left weak and tired. Then, in the flicker of the half-light, I saw the creature open his dull yellow eyes. A breath escaped his lips. His arms and legs moved. He was alive!

Almost at once I began to cry. They were not tears of joy, though, as you might expect. No. I cried with misery and regret. 

"What I have done?!" I cried out. "What a disaster!"

I had chosen his part so carefully, but it had all gone so terribly wrong. How can I decribed the horror I felt? I had seen him before I brought him to life, but I had not seen that he wasa so ugly. Now he was alive, and there was nothing more I could do but be sorry for my actions.

His limbs were right size, but his water, pale eyes were awful. His yellow-looking skin barely covered his muscles and veins. His hair was black, even flowing, and his teeth were white and pearly - but his lips were thin and black.

I had spent two years buiding this creature. Now that I was finished, the glory of my dream disappeared like the light from my candle. My heart filled with horror and disgust. I could not bear to look at him. I rushed out of the lab and threw myself on my bed. Rest did not come easily. My dreams were awful. They were full of terrible pictures: my poor, suffering mother and a sick Elizabeth.

When I woke up in a terrible sweat, the monster was standing above me! He made a noise, maybe an attempt to speak. Then he held out giant hand to grab me, but I ran out of the room as fast as I could. I ran down the stairs, out the door, and into the street. I stopped to see if he was following me, and then I ran off into town,

I spent the rest of the night walking the streets of ingolstadt, listening for footsteps behind me. What did he want from me, the awful creature? Teh frightening monster of my own creation haunted me that night. Every noise scared me and made me think the body to which I had so wrongly given life was about to catch me. I imagined his big, awful hand around my neck. How had everything had turned out so bad? My dream had turned into a living nightmare.

I walked all through the night in the pouring rain. I did not dare return to my apartment. Eventually I ended up at an inn on the other side of the town, where a Swiss coach was parked. The door flew open and there stood Henry Clerval, my dear friend.

"Victor!" he shouted. "I am so glad to see you! What luck. How could you have known to meet my carriage?"

I forgot my unhappiness for a moment, and the monster vanished. The cool morning air blew all my mistakes away. For the first time in months, I thought about something other than my experiments.

"Henry!" I gave my frind a big hug. "No, I didn't know you were coming. What are you doing here? I'm so happy to see you!"

He smiled. "My father finally allowed me to come to school. Can you believe it?"

"That's wonderful!" I replied. "How is my family? You must have broght news from home with you. How is Elizabeth? My father? My brothers?"

"Not to worry, Victor." he said. "They are all well. They wish you would write more, though." He punched mr playfully on the shoulder, and then took a good look at me. "My, you are thin and pale. Are you sick?"

"I've been working day and night on an experiment." I forgot everything that had happened the night before and said quickly, "Let's go back to my rooms for a nice breakfast!"

We took Henry's carriage back to my apartment. As we approached my buiding, a fear came over me. What if the monster was still there? What would I do then? Henry could not see it. What would he think of me?

The carriage stopped in front of my door, and Henry said good-bye to the driver. We gathered his bags and stepped into my front hallway. "Wait down here for just a minute," I said. "I need to clean up quickly."

"Oh Victor, I don't care about a mess. I'm tired and want to sit somewhere that doesn't move."

I begged, "Please, just one minute, okay?" I darted up the stairs. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I arrived at my door. Gathering up all my courage, I threw it wide open. I expected a ghost, knowing now that such fears would haunt me, A long sigh ezcaped my lips as I found the rooms to be empty. The awful monster was gone!

"Henry," I shouted down the stairs, "come on uostairs!"

The women in charge of my apartment brought us a large breakfast. We ate together and Henry told me all about his trip. The coach form Geneva was quite adventure! He went on and on about the funny people he had met along the way. I smiled and listened to his stories. Oh, how I missed my friend Henry! After spending so many months locked away in my laboratory, I had forgotten the symple joys of friendship.

After we finished eating, I couldn't sit still. Something in me shook loose and I could not control myself. I had too much energy. I jumped over chairs, waving my hands around wildly and giggling uncontrollably. My strange behavior made Henry uncomfortable.

"Victor," he shouted. "Sit still for a minute. You're making me nervous with all your twitching and stuff. What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing!" I said. "i'm terrific!" I started laughing and couldn't stop.

Then, for a split second, I thought I saw the moster. "Do not ask me!" I cried. I threw my hands over my eyes and screamed. "He knows!" I yelled. "He knows! Oh, save me! Oh, save me!" In my mind, the monster had grabbed me and was shaking me all about. I struggled against him and then I fell down to the floor.

Henry rushed toward me. He must have helped me to my bed, but I have no memory of it. I fell into a fever that lasted for some time. Henry took good care of me and decided not to tell my family right away because he knew they would be very worried. One could not ask for a better friend.

Months went by but I didn't notice. Terrible thoughts came to me in my dreams. Awful sights of the monster I had created. Fear of what I had done would never undo. I tossed and turned night after night. Henry stayed by my side night and day. He fed me soup and read to me. The fever held on and there were days when I couldn't even sit up in bed. My room became my entire world. My window the only way I knew the world was still there.

Slowly, after many starts, I began to felt better. Germany was now in the full bloom of spring. Birds sang in the trees and flowers started to bloom. I could harly believe that I had been sick all winter. Where did all the time go? What happened to the moster? What had I done? I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and tried to think about my life befor my experiments. How I enjoyed being outside. How Henry, Elizabeth, and I had so much fun when we were children. Now, with the weather being so nice, my mood got a great deal better.

"Henry!" I said one morning. "You are so good to me. You were supposed to start school already, but you've spent the whold season taking care of me." He smiled but didn't say anything, so I continued, "How will I ever pay back this kindness?"

"There's no need." He replied. "All you need to do is get well. That's all that matters." He paused for a minute and then said, "But there is one thing you can help me with."

I shook under my sheets. Maybe he wanted to know about my lab? Maybe he saw evidence of the monster somewhere? Maybe he knew everything! I couldn't bear it if Henry found out! What would he think of me? Would he tell my family? Would they be disappointed in me, too?

Henry noticed my panic. He begged, "Please don't be upset. I want you to send a letter home. Your family wants to hear from you. They are worried about your health."

I sighed, "is that all?" I kicked off my sheets and sat up in bed. "Of course! I don't want them to worry anymore now that I'm so much better."

Henry walked to the table and said, "There's a letter here from Elizabeth. I'll go out for a while and let you read it by yourslef."

Henry smiled knidly at me, put on his hat, and left the room. I sat down at my table and slowly opened the letter, not knowing what to expect. It had been do long since I had read a letter from my family. My heart raced just thinking about how happy I was to hear from them.