Chapter 20

I was chilling in my lab one evening. The sun had dipped below the horizon, and the moon was just peeking out from the sea. I didn't have enough light to really work, so I just sat there, thinking about whether to call it a night or power through. Then, a thought hit me - what I was doing right now.

Three years ago, I’d been in the same spot, creating a monster. His cruelty wrecked my heart and left me with the worst kind of regret. Now, I was about to make another being, and I had no idea what she's be like. She could be way more evil than the first one, finding joy in murder and misery.

He'd vowed to disappear and hide in the wilderness, but she hadn't. And she, who was about to be a thinking, feeling person, might not want to stick to a promise made before she even existed. They might even hate each other.

The creature who already lived hated his own looks, so wouldn’t he be even more disgusted seeing that in a female form? She might turn away from him for a "cuter" guy; ditch him, and he’d be alone again, even more ticked off about being abandoned by someone of his own kind.

Even if they were to ditch Europe and live in the deserts of the new world, one of the first things that dæmon would crave would be kids. A whole race of devils would be born, making the existence of humankind super shaky and terrifying.

Did I have the right, just for me, to curse future generations with this? I’d been played before by the being I made; I'd been freaked out by his threats. But now, for the first time, the awful truth of my promise hit me.

I shuddered, thinking that people way into the future might hate me as a plague, because I was selfish enough to get my own peace at the cost of, like, the entire human race. My hands shook, and my heart dropped when I looked up and saw the dæmon at the window, bathed in moonlight.

A creepy grin stretched across his lips as he looked at me, sitting there doing the task he’d given me. Seriously, he’d followed me everywhere. He’d hung around in forests, hidden in caves, or chilled on wide-open, empty plains. And now he was here to check on my progress and collect on my promise.

As I looked at him, his face showed pure malice and betrayal. I was losing it thinking about my promise to create another like him. Shaking with emotion, I ripped apart the thing I was working on.

The wretch saw me destroying the creature that was his only hope for happiness, and with a howl of devilish despair and revenge , he vanished. I left the room, locked the door, and made a serious vow to myself to never go back to my work. Then, with shaky legs, I went to my own room.

I was totally alone. No one was around to lighten the mood or get me out of the nightmare I was having.

Several hours passed, and I stayed by my window, looking out at the sea. It was practically still, the wind had died down, and everything was calm under the quiet moonlight.

A few fishing boats dotted the water, and every so often, a gentle breeze carried the sound of voices as the fishermen called to each other.

I felt the silence, though I didn't really notice how deep it was, until I suddenly heard the sound of oars near the shore, and someone landed close to my house. A few minutes later, I heard my door creak, like someone was trying to open it quietly.

I trembled all over; I had a feeling about who it was and wanted to wake up one of the farmers who lived in a cottage nearby. But I was frozen, totally helpless, like you are in scary dreams when you try to run from danger but can't move. Soon after, I heard footsteps in the hallway.

"The door opened, and the person I’s been dreading showed up. He shut the door and came towards me, speaking in a low voice. "You’re messing with the project you started; what’s your plan? Are you seriously breaking your promise?

"I’ve been through so much work and hardship; I left Switzerland with you. We crawled along the Rhine’s shores, among its willow islands and over its hills. I spent months in the English moors and the Scottish highlands. I put up with endless exhaustion, cold, and hunger. Do you dare crush my hopes?"

"Get out! I’m breaking my promise. I’m not making another like you, as ugly and evil. "Dude, I tried to talk to you, but you’re proving you can’t handle it. Remember, I’m powerful. You think you’re miserable, but I can make you so unhappy that you’ll hate daylight."

"You made me, but I’m your boss; listen up!"

"My time of being unsure is over, and your chance to control things is here. Your threats don't scare me into doing something bad; they just make me even more sure I won’t make you a partner in evil. Should I, without feeling, unleash a demon on the world who loves death and misery? Get lost!"

I’m solid, and your words will just make me even angrier. The monster saw my determination and ground his teeth in frustrated anger. "Will every man find a wife to share his life, and every animal have a mate, and I be alone? I had feelings of affection, and they were met with hate and disgust.

Human! You can hate, but watch out! Your life will be filled with fear and sadness, and soon a disaster will strike and take away your happiness forever. Are you supposed to be happy while I suffer so intensely?

You can crush my other desires, but revenge will remain - revenge, from now on, more precious than sunlight or food! I might die, but first, you, my ruler and torturer, will curse the sun that looks down on your misery. Be warned, I’m fearless and therefore powerful.

I'm going to watch with the sneakiness of a snake, so I can strike with its venom. Human, you’re going to regret the harm you do. "Devil, stop it! Don’t pollute the air with those nasty words. I’m telling you what I’m going to do, and I’m not a scaredy-cat who’s going to back down from words.

"Leave me alone; I’m not going to change my mind." "Fine. I’m leaving; but remember, I’m going to be with you on your wedding night." I jumped up and shouted, "You jerk! Before you sign my death sentence, make sure you’re safe yourself."

I would have grabbed him, but he dodged me and ran out of the house. In a few moments, I saw him in his boat, which shot across the water super fast and quickly disappeared into the waves.

Everything was quiet again, but his words kept echoing in my head. I was so mad, ready to hunt down the person who messed with my peace and just dump him in the ocean. I paced around my room like crazy, totally stressed, while my imagination threw a million images at me, all meant to mess with me.

Why didn’t I just follow him and take him down right then and there? But I let him go, and he headed towards the mainland. I got chills thinking about who might be the next person he’d hurt, just to feed his endless need for revenge.

Then his words popped back into my head - "I’ll be with you on your wedding night." So that’s when it would happen. That's when I’d die, finally ending his anger. It didn’t scare me, not really.

But when I thought about Elizabeth, my girl, about her crying and being heartbroken when she found her boyfriend snatched away like that, tears finally came to my eyes - the first ones I’d shed in months. I decided I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

The night went by, and the sun came up over the ocean. My feelings calmed down a bit, if you can even call it that when your rage turns into pure despair. I left the house, that awful place from last night, and walked along the beach.

I almost saw the sea as this huge wall between me and everyone else. I even wished it was a wall. I wanted to live out my days on that lonely rock, sure, it’d be boring, but at least I wouldn’t have any sudden shocks of misery.

If I went back, it was to be sacrificed or to watch the people I loved most die in the hands of a monster I made myself.

I wandered around the isle, feeling totally lost and bummed out, like a ghost cut off from everything I cared about. When noon hit and the sun was high, I flopped down on the grass and crashed, hard. I’d been up all night before, my nerves shot and my eyes burning from all the worry.

The sleep I fell into totally refreshed me. When I woke up, I felt a little more like myself, part of the human race again. I started thinking about what had happened with a clearer head, but the fiend’s words still echoed in my ears, like a death sentence.

They felt like a dream, but still super real and heavy. The sun was way down in the sky, and I was still chilling on the shore, stuffing my face with an oaten cake - I was starving. Then I saw a fishing boat pull up close, and one of the guys handed me a packet.

It was letters from Geneva, and one from Clerval, begging me to come join him. He said he was wasting his time where he was, and friends he’d made in London wanted him back to finish a deal for his Indian project.

He couldn’t wait any longer, but his trip to London might be followed pretty soon by a longer journey. So he asked me to hang out with him as much as I could. He basically begged me to ditch my lonely island and meet him in Perth, so we could head south together.

That letter seriously brought me back to life, and I decided to leave the island in two days.

I had one last thing to do before I left, and honestly, just thinking about it gave me the creeps. I had to pack up my science gear, which meant going back into the room where I’d done all that... stuff. Just looking at the tools made me feel sick.

The next morning, as soon as it was light, I finally worked up the nerve to unlock the lab door. The remains of the creature I’d destroyed were all over the floor, and it felt like I’d messed up a real person. I took a sec to collect myself and went inside.

My hands were shaking as I carried the instruments out, but I knew I couldn’t just leave the remains there to freak out the villagers. So, I tossed them in a basket with a bunch of rocks and planned to dump them in the ocean that night.

In the meantime, I sat on the beach, cleaning and organizing my stuff. Seriously, my feelings had totally changed since the night I saw the... thing. Before, I’d just seen my promise as something I had to do, no matter what. Now, it felt like a fog had lifted, and I could finally see clearly.

The idea of starting up my work again didn’t even cross my mind. The threat I’d heard was stuck in my head, but I didn’t think I could do anything about it.

I'd decided that making another creature like the first one would be totally selfish and messed up, and I shut down any thoughts that suggested otherwise.

Around two or three in the morning, the moon popped up. I tossed my basket onto a little skiff and sailed out maybe four miles from the beach. It was totally deserted out there. A few boats were heading back to shore, but I steered away from them.

I felt like I was about to do something seriously messed up and avoided seeing anyone, super anxious. Then, the moon, which had been bright, got covered by a thick cloud. I jumped on the chance and chucked my basket into the sea.

I listened to it splash and sink, then just sailed away from where it landed. The sky got cloudy, but the air was clean, even though a chilly northeast breeze was picking up. But honestly, it felt amazing, like a total refresh.

I decided to stay out on the water longer, so I locked the rudder straight and just chilled out at the bottom of the boat. Clouds covered the moon, and everything was dark. All I could hear was the boat cutting through the waves - a quiet murmur that totally lulled me to sleep in no time.

I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up, the sun was way up in the sky. The wind was crazy, and the waves kept threatening to swamp my little boat. I realized the wind was coming from the northeast, and it must have pushed me far from the coast where I’d started.

I tried to change direction, but quickly realized that another attempt would just fill the boat with water. Stuck like that, my only option was to just go with the wind. I gotta admit, I felt a little freaked out.

I didn’t have a compass, and I barely knew anything about this part of the world, so the sun wasn’t much help. I could end up out in the huge Atlantic and starve, or get swallowed by the endless water all around me.

I’d already been out for hours, and I was dying of thirst - just the start of my troubles. I looked up at the sky, which was covered in clouds flying by super fast; then I looked at the sea - it was basically going to be my grave. "Seriously? I yelled. "You’re done with me already?"

I thought about Elizabeth, my dad, and Clerval - all left behind, and the monster could just unleash his violent, heartless fury on them. That thought totally threw me into a scary, hopeless daydream, and even now, as this is about to be over for good, I get chills thinking about it.

A few hours went by like that, but slowly, as the sun started to go down, the wind calmed into a gentle breeze, and the sea calmed down too. But then, a big swell started up, and I felt sick, barely able to hold the rudder. Then, suddenly, I saw a line of high land to the south.

I was totally drained, like, exhausted from all the crazy suspense I’d been through for hours. Then, this sudden feeling of being alive just flooded my heart - warm and joyful. Tears just started streaming down my face. How weird are our feelings, right?

And how clingy is that love for life, even when things are super rough? I ripped a piece of my dress and made another sail, steering towards the land, stoked. It looked wild and rocky at first, but as I got closer, I could see signs of people living there.

I saw boats near the shore and suddenly felt like I was back near civilization. I checked out the coastline and spotted a steeple poking out from behind a little cliff. I was so weak, so I decided to head straight for the town - a place where I could easily find food. Luckily, I had some cash on me.

As I rounded the point, I saw a cute little town and a good harbor, and my heart leaped with joy at escaping. While I was fixing the boat and messing with the sails, a bunch of people started crowding around.

"They looked pretty shocked by my appearance, but instead of offering help, they just whispered and gestured - stuff that would’ve freaked me out at any other time. But I was too tired for that. I realized they were speaking English, so I just said, "Hey, guys.

"Can you tell me the name of this town and where I am?" "You’ll find out soon enough," a dude with a raspy voice replied. "Maybe you’ve landed in a place you won’t love, but trust me, you won’t have a say in where you’re staying."

I was seriously shocked to get such a rude reply from a random person, and I was also freaked out by the angry looks from his friends. "Why are you talking to me like that? I asked. "Isn’t it normal for English people to be welcoming to strangers?"

"I don’t know what English customs are," the guy said, "but it’s Irish custom to hate bad guys. While this weird conversation went on, I noticed the crowd getting bigger. Their faces showed a mix of curiosity and anger, which was annoying and kinda scared me.

"I asked for directions to the inn, but nobody answered. I started moving, and the crowd started muttering as they followed and surrounded me. Then, a shady-looking dude tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hey, you gotta come with me to Mr. Kirwin’s to explain yourself. "Who’s Mr. Kirwin?

Why do I need to explain myself? Isn’t this a free country? Yeah, buddy, free enough for good people. Mr. Kirwin’s a magistrate, and you gotta explain about the death of a dude who was found murdered here last night. That answer totally threw me, but I quickly pulled myself together.

I was innocent, and I could prove it. So, I followed my guide in silence and was led to one of the nicest houses in town.

I was ready to collapse from being so tired and hungry, but being surrounded by a crowd, I figured I needed to use all my energy so no weakness would look like I was scared or guilty. Little did I know the disaster about to hit me and wipe out all fear of shame or death with horror and despair.

I gotta stop here, because it takes all my strength to remember the awful stuff I’m about to tell, in detail, to the best of my memory.