Monsters

[Oicha]

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl. The family she came from was not rich, nor where they powerful. They lived away from the hustle and bustle of cities, a little shack situated near a cave with some farmland, that was what they called home.

Every day, that little girl would hear the same warning from her parents. 'Watch out for monsters. They'll hunt you down if you go outside.' And every day, she waited for these monsters to come, the curiosity of a child not sated with just warnings of such foul creatures.

Year by year, she waited and watched around their little home. Waiting to see these monsters her parents warned her of every day.

And one day, the child's curiosity got the better of her. She ventured out past their farm. Deep into the woods. She passed by creatures in the forest, who all ignored her. She passed by rivers and lakes of sickly brackish liquid, all of which she observed more creatures around. Fangs and wings, claws and talons. Every shape and size of animal and creature, and they all ignored her.

But something rattled, just beyond the edges of that dark forest. Wood creaked and the sounds of something rang out just beyond the obfuscating veil of her homes protective barrier. She ran back home, but dared not tell her family of what she did, or what she found.

And only a week later, she gathered the courage to go back to the forest, to the edge where she had heard those sounds. And listen again. Sure enough, they came. Creaking wood, the sounds of a few animals, and something else she was not familiar with. She hid herself in the forest, watching and waiting, hoping to get a glimpse of the monsters. But they never broke through the darkened canopy.

It became her new routine, to tread past the creatures of the forest, to walk far from her home, and to try and catch a glimpse of the monsters, just as her routine included the daily warnings from her family. For weeks, she did just that. And never did she catch the glimpse she hoped for.

Until one day, she decided, maybe these weren't monsters? They seemed to follow some routine. Maybe they were just more creatures of the forest?

Resolving herself, she pushed past the barriers that obscured her. Past the darkened leaves and branches of her home, just as that creaking wood and unfamiliar sound came near.

There she saw them, and they her, for the first time.

"Monster!" They cried out. Drawing sticks made of hardened earth. The noisy clanking of their odd skins drawing nearer. She fled right away. Running home to the safety of her family.

And the creatures that walked up right, followed her to that safety.

And no matter how much she fought back, how many she helped slay to save her family. More and more kept coming, day by day. Hour by hour. To slay her own family.

She had tested the advice of her family, who knew the hatred these monsters bore.

And as she watched her family die before her? She understood one thing. She must show them the same hatred. That was the only way she could survive, and carry the memory of her family with her.

[Oicha]

Everywhere I go. I see those same monsters. You know, that was the first word of their language I learned. 'Monster.' What makes a monster, anyways? Is it the way we looked? Is it how we acted? Is it the lands we inhabited? Was it how many of us there were? I don't understand. I know what the word means. But I can never understand.

Everywhere I go. I hear those same monsters. Clanking suits of metal, sticks made of steel. Magic that seeks to burn me. No matter how many I am FORCED to kill, just to survive. I never take their bodies with me. I never eat them. I always leave them. Maybe they have families too? I wish I could see mine once more. If I could take back my curiosity, if I could tell myself that it just wasn't worth it. That I should have listened to my family.

Everywhere I go. Those monsters are there first. They wear different skins, made of different metals and silks. Some wear fantastic jewelry, made of the shiniest rocks I've ever seen. But they all say the same thing. When they see me. "Monster!" What did I do wrong? I'm not a monster. Is my sin, that I live?

Everywhere I go. Those monsters try to kill me. I miss those years. The times when all I had to worry about, was if another creature was particularly grumpy. Perhaps they'd swipe at me for coming too close to their dens. But everything made sense. They never chased me so far as these monsters do. They never fought me so hard as these monsters do. Never sent sons and daughters to die in the chase. Like these monsters do.

I rip through a leg. I slice off an arm. I maim, but I never WANT to kill them. But they don't stop. They won't leave and care for their families. They won't leave me alone.

And so?

Everywhere I go. I will kill these monsters. I will show them the ferocity and hatred they showed me and my family. I'll break down their homes and slaughter parents in front of the eyes of their young. Just like they did for me.

Everywhere I go. I will be the monster they envision me as. I'll lay traps, and rip them apart as they fall for them. I'll act as a shield for those that cannot defend themselves. I'll focus their hatred on me, and make them so afraid of me they'll never lay a hand on my kind again.

Everywhere I go. I will make them regret treating a monster as a pet. I will show them that their gilded cages and promises of food mean nothing to us. That we are free creatures. That their oppression means nothing when it meets my hatred.

And Now?

Everywhere I go. They try to reason with me. They tell me they are sorry for me.

Everywhere I go. They tell me I'm not a monster. They tell me I care, and they care for me.

Everywhere I go. They tell me that my anger won't solve anything. It won't fix anything. Are they just afraid of me... Are they trying to trick me... Or...?

Everywhere I go.

I am so very, very tired.

Do Monsters, get tired?