The Monster

Monsters come in many shapes and sizes. Some are obvious from their outward appearance, while the monstrous qualities of others lie entirely on the inside. 

This is why monster hunting was a difficult job for Arthur Peer. If he captured someone who looked or acted like a monster and they ended up not being one, things could get rather awkward. Every day, the lines between monster and not monster seemed to get blurrier. 

Arthur found that this was especially the case when he was called on to capture a “destructive nuisance of a monster” down on Meerkat Lane. He arrived with all his best equipment, ready for a difficult fight, but the location was much quieter than he had anticipated. He crept inside the old, decrepit building, his special boots not making so much as a squeak. He heard a scratching noise and followed it to a room with a door that creaked as he pushed it open. 

Something turned at the announcement of his arrival. It was definitely a monster— complete with purple fur and tall, thin spines that ran the length of its back—but before Arthur could do anything, the monster tackled him. . . and licked his face. It then panted, its tongue hanging out of its mouth, and grinned at Arthur. 

“Hm,” Arthur muttered, wiping slobber off his forehead. “This may be a problem.”

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Originally published on my site The Story Canvas

Photo by Nathan Wright on Unsplash