The creature glanced over at me, pointed teeth shimmering in the glare of a thousand bulbs which blazed into the glass dome until no shadow could be found at any angle. It nodded slightly, and I felt its support in the silence of my mind. It wanted the light as much as I. We checked the reserves together, making sure the fuel wouldn't run out during the night.
"We must keep the lights on!" I took a deep breath and inspected the wires
and fail-safes once again. "Are the backup generators all
functioning?"
The creature nodded and settled onto the pile of cushions near the generators, gesturing with a clawed paw for me to join it. I poured boiling water into the teapot and gathered the tray and cups before settling next to its warm comfort and companionship, our nightly routine complete.
"I wish the darkness would never come." I sighed and glanced at the clock. Had the tea steeped long enough?
It nudged me gently, offering to pour, and I patted its shoulder before leaning forward to add honey to my cup. It was enough to know that light heals the deformity of the soul, I reminded myself, and heard the silent affirmation from my companion as it tipped the pot, releasing the scent of mint into the air along with a warm gust of steam.
Mint always brought back the memory of that darkened garden, and I glanced over, knowing it had seen the thought as it rose to mind. We no longer avoided the reality of what had been, but kept the story alive together as a remembrance of what could be, and what must be avoided.
---
Of course, at the time he had looked very different to me. His well-groomed appearance and muscled figure had been admirable. I, knowing nothing of his character, had been enough deceived by his friendly manner to think myself in love. What small caution remained to me that night had ensured we at least met in a public place, but I had ceased listening to the common-sense honesty that sinks in best in the light of day.
My world had centered around the setting of the sun. Darkness had become my friend. And I, thinking I brought light with me into that darkness, walked without fear into the arms of a monster.
It took too long for that truth to sink in. Too many mint-scented nights in the shadows of the garden. When I at last saw past his fair face to the nature that lay beneath, I couldn't bear to admit the truth, to admit what I fool I had been. But I saw, too, that he avoided the light. And I wondered what secret he had been keeping.
At first, I tried to persuade him to walk with me in the daylight, but he resisted with angry force, leaving me wrapped in tears at the breaking of dawn. For the first time in too long I stood in the sunlight, and at the touch of its warmth a new strength took root. I would see my love in the full force of the light and see what it made of him. Little did I know what I would find.
I began a campaign to pull him into the light, this man who refused
to be seen clearly. But he refused and resisted, attacking me at every
opportunity to weaken my resolve. I wanted to give up on him. By this
time my love for him had died entirely.
But the resolve
of the light had become stronger than my own intention to simply leave
him to himself. At the time, bringing him into the
light seemed the only path toward righting the wrongs he had done to me.
I thought it would be revenge, so simple, to make him step into
something that could only be safe, but which brought him such terror.
And
one day I managed to trap him beneath a stairway at dawn. As the sun
rose he cowered in the shadows, but I knew the inevitable path of the
rays would expose him before the end of day. I almost pitied him as he
wept, but I felt the light must touch him. Why I was so certain, I
couldn't know.
And then, before my eyes, the first ray
of light reached him. He staggered forward and raised his hands before
his face, but not before the transformation erupted. A ragged pelt burst
from beneath smooth skin, his bones contorted and shifted. As he
writhed in agony, I realized that this is what he had been all along. It
was no surprise. This was the character he had hidden away beneath that
sleek exterior, and his new form suited him, claws and fangs and dirt.
I turned to
leave, but his ragged sobs caught at me. In the light, I felt like I
understood him, and now that I could see him clearly, the light was
sharing a new truth, connecting us in a way we had never been connected
in all our relationship before.
---
The
creature shifted beside me under the protection of our artificial sun
and patted my shoulder. I felt its gratitude as I sipped my tea. Truth
may expose, but it can also heal. I nodded, glad for the presence of
the light. Tonight, the creature had become almost transparent. Without
even a shadow, now, I wondered how it had become so imbued with
darkness from the beginning.
It shifted, introducing another angle to the question. Having been so dark, how could such a monster become translucent?
I
couldn't answer. The mystery of the nature of light had long bewildered
me. I only knew that since the monster chose to remain in the light and
fear the darkness, not once had it regained the semblance of a man, but
its nature had transformed until now it carried only gentleness and a
love for the light, no more capable of harming me than the light had
ever been.
We glanced over at the generator, then
smiled at one another. One day night would cease to exist, and perhaps
then the creature's new nature would transform its exterior once again.
We rested, content to push away the darkness.
Around us
crowded many other like ourselves, all glad to share the protection of
the light until sunrise. Each figure remained a
distorted creature at different stages of translucence, some nearly
invisible while others cast regretful shadows. The community had grown since we joined, and would continue to grow.
There was something about the light that made transformation inevitable. With a thankful sigh, I rested.
---
I'm sorry the story turned out so long.
It started with a dream of creating a lighted stadium for a monster, because it would only remain good under the influence of the light. In the shadows, it would turn into a human terror, dangerous and deadly. I don't remember much of the dream, just the urgency I felt in keeping someone safe,... whether it was the monster or my friends, I don't know. There was no true fear associated with the dream, just an understanding of the need for light.
When I thought about it, today, I wondered what sort of creature it would be that would be safe when it looked monstrous, and dangerous when it appeared safe. But isn't that how it really is in this life?
We are most dangerous when we're trying to look good. When we're exposed for who we really are, that is when the most good can be done in and through us.
The light is God's presence or his Word. Our self, by section and in whole, is the monster. There are probably other ways to read this story. I felt it was non-specific enough to need a hint at the end. By characterizing the creature and the storyteller as separate, yet friendly, I accepted the possibility of reading this to fit friendship or love as well.
