Sunday, October 24, 2010

Monster Mash Blogfest

Don't worry. I didn't forget that I'd signed up for the blogfest, I just didn't write my entry beforehand because I was sick. So, my entry is being written and posted as soon as I can get it done. To check out other entries in today's festival of ghoulish fun, go to www.rohmorgon.com/blog.



Blogfest Details
Story should contain at least one, if not more, supernatural (monster) creature. I put in the monster part cause it's called a monster mash but technically the rules just call for supernatural creatures. Having more than one kind of creature is preferred cause it's a mash so that's more fun than having one kind.
999 words limit is also recommended and I second this rule because posts that are super long are ones I tend to skip over when reading.

Story
Since this blogfest involves supernatural creatures, it was either write a halloween costume segment for Cinder Story or to write something else with actual supernatural creatures. So, fans of Cinder, you'll have to wait for the next blogfest but I promise the cliffhanger one will feature Jack. Instead I'm going to write from a story that has a cult type setting. It's in first person, currently, with a male main character that I haven't actually figured out his real name yet. The story is one that people tend to either like or not like at all, but I love the idea still. The entry may get long because I wrote it here in blogger and didn't do a word count. (Also, I had to write half of it twice cause blogger didn't save like it usually does and when I tried to publish it said I wasn't signed in so I lost half of what I wrote and had to redo it.)

Entry

The world is full of dark, scary things. Monsters troll the night with ever haunting to cause fright and it is only those who find their light can fight the dark they find within. And yet, I find nothing but voices. Voices that squack, grown and never shut up.

"Boy!"

I shake from the trance I had staring out across the one glimpse of open space provided in this jungle of a private so-called zoo. "Yes?" I hate when he calls me boy, such a demeaning term, but I can't snap at him unless I want a beating. Ridiculous to be almost thirty and at the whim of some other man, no matter his kindness of keeping me alive. At least he could say it in that foreign language the others seem to speak, that way I wouldn't know for sure he was being a condescending putz.

"We don't have all day for this tour. Let's keep moving."

"Yes, Master." Stupid, self-centered, son of a...

"This way, boy." His distinguished stature never changed, not even amidst the muck filled lands that existed in the middle of his zoo. He walked with confident strides, probably from the knowledge that every creature, every bit of land belonged to him. Doesn't even look down walking across a pathway covered in poisonous creepy crawly things.

Not even sure what they are but they have similar annoying voices that insects and spiders have inside my head, but they move out of the way for him. For me it's a different story. They cover the walkway again so I can't even see the ground. Could you clear some space to let me through, please. I ask them, inside my head. With some snickering and mass voices talking at the same time, they give enough space for me to tiptoe across. I get a look from Master but he doesn't say anything again until we get to another long section of overgrown cages.

We pass the path I took my first night in this strange land, the night I met him. At the end of that path is the huge gorilla couple. They aren't quite King Kong size but definitely larger than normal. Most would consider them to be scary cause of that but seeing the one share his food with his mate made it hard to view them that way anymore.

"Do you know the difference between man and monster?" Master asks me, but doesn't give much than a couple of seconds before he speaks again. He never gives me time to answer questions but he doesn't care if I have an answer either. "Fear. The monster doesn't have anything to fear. Man thinks he is the ruler over all the lands but he is afraid, and that weakness is what will cause his downfall."

He talks about man as if he isn't one and that is creepy. I don't know what to say, so instead look into the cage we are standing near.

Seeing my distraction, he steps over to some machine, pressing a few buttons. From the depths of the mechanical odd monstrosity tossed a bloody steak that didn't even have the chance to hit the ground. With a flash of black, it was gone. The sign on the cage says "were-jaguar"but the animal moved too fast for me to tell exactly what it looked like.

"Seriously, boy," this time he snaps his fingers towards Master's side as he'd gotten ahead of me again. "Do I need to put a damn leash on you just so you'll keep up?"

I ignore the next few cages, not bothering to look for any animals as I catch up to him. Then he stops again, staring at me in that glare that makes me uncomfortable because he's trying to decide something about me and I never know what it is that he gets when he looks at me. So, I look at the cage were are standing near. The clearing is empty but I can sense something lurking in the shadows of the brush that exist on the edges of the cage. Then it jumps out against the wire of the cage, claws sinking in and teeth exposed in a deep growl. Well, the noise that hits my ear is a growl. What I hear in my head is more of a Boo! and then it giggles.

"There is one question you need to consider, if you are to survive here." Master is speaking to me again so I ignore the creature that is trying to garner a little attention. Then he gives the question he has been building up to this whole conversation. "Are you afraid?"

9 comments:

Summer Ross said...

I love the ending of this. Its really wam in your face and makes the reader think about what you wrote. Nicely done.

J.C. Martin said...

A menagerie of were-creatures? What a cool place!

J.C. Martin said...

A menagerie of were-creatures? What a cool place!

Just Another Sarah said...

Oooh. I like this. Creepy, and interesting!

Dawn Embers said...

Summer - Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you like it.

JC - sort of. Were-creatures and then other things. I once wrote there was a giraffe in it for a 15 minute writing exercise.

Sarah - :-D thanks.

roh morgon said...

Very interesting. The strangeness of this place is reflected not only by the zoo inhabitants, but by the role of the narrator and his relationship to the Master.

Nice. Thanks for bringing these bizarre guests to the Monster Mash!

Dawn Embers said...

roh - Thank you. :-) I enjoyed the blogfest. It was fun.

N. R. Williams said...

Great hook at the end. But I have no idea what kind of creature this is. I'd like to know.

I posted my monster story today and then my mouse died and I had to wait until the car was back from the job, yeah, a member of the family had it, before I could buy a new one and get back online.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Dawn Embers said...

N.R. - Well, there are a few different ones in the story. But the last one, yeah, I don't know either.

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