Creature and the Maiden 18-19

Creature and the Maiden chapter 18.

She couldn't believe what she'd just heard John say... "...For me it is..."

Laura was so stunned that she lost her speech. She couldn't force the words out when she tried. "You're...made by...dead people?!" she whispered. Her head was spinning and her world was crashing and she didn't know how to make it stop. This was insane. This was totally insane and she couldn't believe it. "Now you're just ridiculous." She rose up from the bed, rushing towards John. "Are you trying to convince me that your whole body is made by dead people, that whoever gave birth to you is not a mother or even god?" Then she looked again at the horrible scar that was trailing over his chest, small sicacs threads were visible in his huge chest.

"My father wanted to play god and searched for perfection. The head on my shoulders is not actually mine. My left arm is not the same as my right, my right leg were not completely stitched so I limped first and had to use a stick to walk properly, the parts inside me have been removed from sick, suffering or violent evil men, from the butcher houses and gallows."

"No, no, no!" she shouted. "You're lying, it's impossible. Don't you see that what you're saying...It's against nature and god!"

"Laura, listen..."

"This is damned impossible!" He could hear her sobbing breath during her crying and how her small hands started to beat his chest hard. Oh how he wishes to never tell her about what he really is, but he must. If he wishes to commend her to the same loneliness and prejudices from other senseless people's talk and action, he must.

"Look carefully, Laura, you can see that no matter if you have faith or not, I'm a blot on this earth." He spilled his heart out to her and he didn't stop. It was like a vacuum just sucking out all of his emotions and he couldn't believe she was actually listening to him. He told her the first minutes of his reborn life, how his creator stared at him with horror and pain over his wretched body and had run away from his newborn "child". Stealing clothes from others to cover himself, stealing food without showing himself because of the painful moments and experience of other people's screams, their stones, their angry and hateful exppessions when they saw his hideous face. The peaceful time when he was the De Lacey "guest" and guardian, when sweet little Eva introduced him to her grandfather who, because of his blindness, treated him as an equal and friend. But how his hopes of a loving family where he could belong got shattered when Felix yelled at him the word "animal!" and chased him away.

Laura didn't stop him once, she didn't tell him to be quiet. But her face was getting paler with every word he was saying, sometimes she shake her head in agony and disbelief. Soon after he was finished, Laura had a hard time trying to breathe, but she managed to whisper, "But how did you find out what you were when you had no friends?"

He picked up one of the books that lay beside the bed. It was red and with a big F written on its front page. "As soon after I learned and remembered the alphabet and the meanings in the books I borrowed, I started to understand the words that were printed in this." He open it and showed her a picture of a hideous skull with different marks and symbols and texts written on it. He handed the odd manuscript over to Laura.

"Take your time reading, Laura, it tells of the months before my birth, my accursed origin, the description and thoughts of my father's hand when he created me. Don't say anything until you have read this book." Laura shook her head again, she didn't want to read, she didn't want to see the truth.

"Read it!" He forced the book into her shaking hands." He had to make her understand; even it meant destroying her pure image of him. The whole book held a story to be told each piece, a heartbreaking and breathtaking story. She tore out of the cave, but stopped just outside. The sky was bright and it was a full moon tonight, the stars had never looked so lovely, but at the same time, so distant. Her back was against the light of the fire, but it was bright enough to see the book.

He shuffled uncomfortably, and then walked a few steps to sit down on the edge of the bed before he fell down. His head was spinning and his world was crashing and he didn't know how to make it stop. Now he did it! He told her his deepest secret; will she still love him or reject him?

Shakenly Laura opened the book and read the first paragraph on the first page. "To my dearest son Victor, from your father Alphonso Frankenstein."

"Frankenstein? Where have I heard that name before?" she thought. There were strange words and formulas she didn't understand, like chemistry, Inoxcidin and inner biology. But the pictures made her skin scrawl. Victor was not a great artist, but his small illustrations of raw muscles, a skeleton head and inner organs were creepy. She knew this was a work of a scientist, a naturalist who believes no heaven or hell, but somehow she couldn't help but see this journal as a book of black magic, filled with symbols and spells and incantations.

The book was written in German, but she managed to understand what it said. The first pages were about Victor Frankenstein's own thoughts about his new life in Ingolstadt, expectations and dreams. The first thoughts and theories about recreating life. She almost coughed when she read the results when he gave life to a poor stray dog. The great force to wake this dog up from his dead sleep raised Victor's hopes, but his tentative success was shortlived when the animal fell back into his final sleep. The inner eye of Laura ran like a ticker in her mind, telling her the reasons why Victor had dared to create life, when he didn't care about the effects of his actions? Fear of death or the loss of someone dear? Probably! Hadn't she, when her grandmother died and her father disappeared, wished that they would come back? It wasn't fair that two people, whom she loved so much, leave her all alone. It was cruel and heartless of god to do that to her.

But what if he is some kind of a weapon? Except for his scars and skin, his body was tall and possessed a remarkable strength and speed when he moved. She has seen how he easily could lift up a man from the ground, endure harsh weather and cold. John says that he's made by different human parts, but the human body is still fragile. Humans can't run fast like a hare, they don't have sharp eyes like a bird praying for its meat, or a strong nose like a dog. The only thing humans possess, which no animal or plant has, is his brain, with the knowledge to understand, feel and create tools to compensate for their vulnerable form. But John is different! Very different! But he's still a human! She sat, staring out at the night, just a line of pink-purple on the horizon and the rest all dark and light blues. The stars still shone over her while she looked up. Several minutes later, Laura shakily walked slowly back to him. She struggled to come to terms with it all, tears were welling up in her eyes again, but brushed them away before they overflowed. She didn't want to cry anymore. "Oh my dear lord, please help me." She thought.

He didn't seem to notice her presence, his face was hidden in the pillow and his arm were over his head, like trying to hide and forget everything, or afraid of what she would say or how she would see him, now that she knew the truth. "It's still John..."

At the moment she thought this, he came out of his trance. He was surprised he had not felt Laura's presence right beside him. That thought was soon forgotten because of her appearance. She laid his book beside him, glancing right in his eyes. The light from the small upcoming dawn and the glowing fire had lit up her eyes with a cool green light. By this time, they had been staring at each other for almost a full minute. Until Laura forced herself to snap out of this trance.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"Someone who loves you greatly." he said calmly. "A beast that fell in love with the maiden, whom he doesn't deserve to touch or even love." Laura then felt his two shaking hands cup each of her cheeks. The warmth from her cheeks immediately warmed his flesh, but his fingers were trembling so badly that it was hard to keep in contact with them. "You mustn't want to be around me now that you know my true heritage."

He was clinging to her as if she was his lifeline. But it wasn't fair that he could still make her feel for him when she shouldn't. A disbelieving look crossed her face at this accusation. Removing his hands from her cheeks, she stared angrily at him. "Do you think that what you have told me and proved with this book it would change my feelings for you? You think I can't accept you now?!" She yelled and rose up from her position.

"And do you think it is possible to call myself a human being when I look like this! He shouted back. Did this stupid na`ive girl believe that she doesn't care about his past; she should be terrified and how could she think this would work in a relationship? "What other human have you seen in your lifetime who bore such a horrid resemblance to me and being birth by a mad man?

Laura shook her head again; strong and willful to stand for what she believed. And what she believed, was that no matter what, she would never leave him or lie to him. "Your story scares me, I admit! This Victor has crossed something he never should have passed. Death should never be seen as an ending, but a beginning, that there is something more for our souls after our bodies can't bear to walk and live anymore." She could feel lumps forming in her throat as the emotions began to overwhelm her. "Your birth terrifies me, John, it's unnatural and against the laws of nature...But you're not a freak, John, It's not your fault."

He couldn't force the words out when he spoke. "But do I have a soul? Does a creature like me, who has been made by man's hands and his only faith that our life and body are nothing more than a mechanism? That it doesn't matter how good or evil you are, there is no heaven or hell after our death, only the rotting process when the body is placed in the ground! Sadly, that's what I believe in. There is no paradise for those who deserve it."

She was so stunned that she lost her speech once again. There was one time, long ago when she'd accidently eavesdropped on one of the oldest village people, who had been denigrating with his beer comrades about a Jewish man, who had recently moved into the apartment next to his. The old man didn't like him and he had started to tell nasty stories about him and his religion. One of them was of a creature from Judaic myth, made of stone and mud. "I wouldn't be surprised if he ghas one in his closet," the man had muttered. Curious, she wanted to know more of this story, so her great-grandmother, who in Laura's eyes knows everything, had told her about the Golem. It was a man-and-magic-made monster created to protect Jews against the false accusations of ritual murder. An unintelligent, unhuman and diminutive creature created by Jewish sorcerers by alchemy out of the primal elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. It was treated as a protector, weapon and servant. It couldn't talk, didn't have a mind of its own and it didn't have a soul. Which was the saddest part of its whole being. Young Laura couldn't help but feel pity of this soulless creature. How does it feel to not possess a heart or a soul? Doesn't it have a mind of its own? What if it did? But John is absolutely not a golem! There is no other person in this world, who possessed and proved goodness and honesty to her. She loved him, but his revelation of his true nature, had forced her to see him in another light. There was an instinctive rejection of this unnatural birth and this horrible knowledge. A knowledge that she never imagined to hear or see. What should she do with this knowledge? What could she do for this poor man, with a face like a monster who has a heart made of gold but few who could see it. "I don't believe it; we all need something to believe in." she replied. "Even in this man and thousands of others who think that there is no god or guardian angels, that everything's created in the earth, it's not the finger of god but the nature and us, a complex and unique chemical process in life and death, still kept a small fragment of faith in their hearts. And do you know why? Because the truth and great knowledge is not so beautiful to see sometimes. I do believe in a heaven and a hell. There must be something more after this?! My grandmother believed it and so do I!"

"It's wonderful that you have such faith, but either our faith of god or the science, I'm still a freak of this world."

"How dare you!" the words flew from Laura's mouth before she could control it. "How dare you say such awful things about yourself!"

"I thought you have understood why! You wonder why I call myself a monster?" he demanded., . "You've seen my face and you know what I 'am!" he screamed; rage showing in the deep red blush that now covered half his face. "I`m created by evil men's body parts!"

"It's what you do, not who you were made to be, that counts!" Laura cried, grabbing his shoulders. "Those who have cruel hearts and souls, they are the devils, monsters and demons of this fallen world...And I thought you understood me, John! I told you of my childhood and you know that I've seen and been touched by cruelty, to, from those who I thought were "good" and "better" and you shall not think..." Angrily she yelled out her frustration while John merely stood and stoically took her anger. Suddenly her anger changed into the confusion from the deeper emotions she was feeling for him. "You're selfish to think that you're the only one who suffers because of your face and past, you shall not let your birth affect you to..."

He stopped her at her last words and seized her hands, holding them tight to his chest, but his firm grip was nearly cutting off the blood circulation in her hands. He looked deep into her eyes, emotions of guilt, understanding and sorrow showed, coming from deep within his heart.

"You don't need to tell me, I understand and I'm sorry, but you needed to know." he whispered. The stress and exhaustion of the recent events and revelations had finally emptied her both mentally and physically; she didn't have any more strength to shout or cry over him. Silently he pulled her back to the bed they had shared a while ago. But even while realizing that a part of Laura knew that John wasn't normal, she couldn't help but wonder: Shall they tell Esther and Toby about it? Will Pierre, when he's recovered, tell the village people about John and hunt him down? What sort of revenge will he make?

"Dear John, what shall we do with you?" She whispered sadly.

But rather than worrying over the situation, she made no mention of it and let herself enjoy holding John strong hand. Lying silently beside each other, hands in twined, neither spoke for an endless moment until John spoke with a soft voice.

"Did I request thee, Maker from my clay

To mould Me man? Did I solicit thee

From darkness to promote me?"

"John Milton." Laura smiled.

He nodded. "Precisely."

The young big Milton awoke from his nap when Laura started to yell, at first the puppy whine over the strong vibrations of anger and sadness between his master and this new strange creature. But when these emotions faded away and Laura placed herself next to John and then heard his name "Milton" coming from the strangers' throat, Milton lumbered happily to John's side and placed his fluffy head over John's thighs.

"He looks like a Milton, don't you think?" John said and started to scratch behind Milton's ears softly. From their emotional and philosophical debate and the current drama of their feelings and frustration, none of them didn't have more strength to continue with it. They needed to melt it. But a silent agreement was made, they both knew how it feels to be different and abandoned.

"I think I have never met him, considering he died hundreds of years ago, but this name suits this heartbreaker very well." Laura gave a small smile when she stroked Milton shaggy but still puppy soft fur. Then she moved her hands back off her neck and removed her necklace with the turquoise stone she always wore. Taking Johns hand with hers, she placed the pendant in his hand.

"You remember this? It belonged to my father and was his last gift to me, before he went away. This is my most valuable possession in the world. It is my past, my present, and my future. I want you to have it."

"I...I can't accept this, Laura!" John stammered and strokes his fingers over the blue stone.

"I want you to protect it for me and create your own history with it. See it as a symbol! A promise for our friendship! My father said that with this stone, you'll never be alone and its value is much more than it looks, something I shall never lose."

He wasn't listening to her last words. Instead, he smelled her hair and had his arms around her waist, holding her to him firmly. He was thrilled at the words of understanding; her honesty, trust and love for him. That her feelings were strong, not the feelings of dislike or pity he had thought she would hold for him. But instead they were much more profound! The idea of her feelings and this trust of giving her sacred possession to him nearly melted his heart.

"By the way, you're a good kisser!" She smiled teasingly.

"You mean it?" he asked.

"Yes, it was my first kiss, and I couldn't have shared it with a better person."

"I'll show you again, if you want?"

"Yes."

When he slowly pressed a small kiss on her lips, the newly strange emotions raced through her heart and mind again, but in her whirlwind of thoughts she came to rest on one single realization. All the confusions and sadness suddenly melted away as that new realization filled her. Her heart felt free, lighter and happier than she had ever felt before. In that moment her thoughts came to rest on one single emotion...love...love for John. It hadn't changed when he told her his past, it hadn't changed at all.

"The hell with you, Victor."


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After placing Pierre and Duncan's bodies in the carriage and taking care of their injuries, the driver with a great effort, despite the pain in his head and neck from the monster's hands when he had been thrown away from the carriage, he managed to sit up and take the reins. If he had known that this was going to happen, kidnapping a young girl, traveling through the dark woods at night and getting attacked by a wicked demon. He would have either said no or demanded more money for it. His head had hit the ground very hard and knocked him flat on his back, so for a few minutes he had difficulty breathing. But he saw enough: how this demon gave Duncan a hard slap on his head when he came out from the carriage, going in and with one hand on Pierre's neck, forcing him out, with his pants half down, and started to beat him very hard. It suited him very well, thinking of the small cries and pleadings from the poor girl when he tried to ravage her. But taking this crying and chocked girl with him, saying "She's mine!" before the Demon moved back into the shadows and disappeared, It was horrible! The Village needs to know! They must hunt him down and save this poor girl! Immediately! Suddenly a small thought came up in his hurting head. But what if that girl had summoned this demon to save her? This was Laura Galinette. Her grandmother was a witch! What if she got this creature as a servant? Or lover?


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Another part of the country, in Marseille, an certain fat old man were looking for a clean shirt to pull. His dirty home was a mess of papers, books and scribbled notes after placing what he needed in a suitcase. After done lot of research, his patience finally paid and there was no time to spill. If this Mr. Rochester is going to marry Laura and steal her fortune, he`s wrong! Just marrying Laura or just take her stocks papers would not be enough. It needed a special key to prove that the stocks really belong to the owner.

A key that Mr. Crottington should had taken from Laura long time ago when he had the chance. But now the opportunity have come to take what it`s rightfully his.