My Little Monster

The pills have stopped working. I could feel myself growing stronger. I only took the pills to appease my uptight husband anyway. He had a problem with me looking the way I normally did on a regular basis. Yes, the pills kept me pretty, at least in his eyes, but they had side effects. They made me weaker, smaller, and reduced my senses like smell, sight and hearing. And I hated the way I looked on these pills, it’s not natural.

They were specially made to keep me from turning ugly, but every time I took them, I became more immune. My husband was a physicist and made the pills himself.

They worked for years, but now they don’t. At least not for me. Currently, I still turn ugly, all the pills did now was slow me down. So I stopped taking them.

I put my daughter to bed and went to my room and sat next to my husband.

“Did you remember to take your pills?” He asked.

“No. I’m not taking them anymore,” I said.

“Why. You know what happens when you don’t take them,” he replied.

“They don’t work anymore. You know this, you saw me turn last night. And this was after taking a handful of your medicine. I’m sick of turning despite taking your pills only to have my senses dulled anyway. Because that’s all they do, is dull my fantastic hearing, site and smell. What’s the point?” I asked.

“I thought they still worked a little. When you don’t take them, your worse,” he said.

“No. I’m not worse, just slower. You just don’t like the way I look when I don’t take them! You think I’m ugly,” I growled, unaware my daughter could hear us arguing from her room.

“Please take them. It has nothing to do with the way you look,” he begged. It was too late, I was already changing.

My jaw extended, my face pushed forward and looked like a fox’s, but it was white. My whole body turned white as my skin thickened. My arms grew longer, I grew taller. My muscles got bigger. My teeth fell out. Newer, sharper teeth grew in there places. My skin turned black and a darker shade of white.

“Judgmental and disgusting, you are,” I growled. My voice was now deeper then his.

“I swear it’s not your looks. It’s your personality, dear,” he said.

“Liar. What’s wrong with my personality?” I snarled while bubbling black ooze dripped from my extended, fox like gnarled jaw. Then, I stuck out my long, forked, leathery and veiny black tongue, which split several times, traveling in all directions and licking the bubbling black ooze off both sides of my cheeks at the same time.

“You get angry. You scare the neighbors. They call the police. I always have to hide you while I get rid of them. ‘What monster’ I always ask as they search the house. Your lucky the attic is so well hidden. I always insist the neighbors are crazy and probably hallucinating from drugs if they’re seeing monsters. With the pills, the neighbors haven’t called the police in years. And you always bring back dead animals and eat them raw. It’s really gross. I wouldn’t mind the eating so much if you at least cleaned up the leftovers afterwards, but you don’t. Do you know how gross it was cleaning up animal guts night after night. The only two people not scared of you is me and our daughter,” Theo said.

“Don’t lecture me, Theo. And I’ll take care of the neighbors. I’m not a monster. They have no right calling me names,” I said in my low, growling moan.

“What do you mean, take care of them? Angel, please. Don’t go,” Theo shouted. But I didn’t answer him. By the time he finished his sentence, I was gone.

I came back several hours later. I went into Scarlett’s room first to see if she was still sleeping peacefully. She wasn’t in her bed. I searched her room, figuring she might have been scared of my appearance. The last time she saw me like this was years ago, she was just a baby.

I ran into my room to see my husband crying.

“What of the neighbors? Did you kill them?” Theo asked.

“No, stupid. I’ve been on a diet since I met you. I only eat raw animals when I’m off the pills, remember?” I asked.

“No, it’s been a long time since you were off the pills. And what did you end up doing to the neighbors if you didn’t eat them?” Theo asked.

“I just scared the crap out of them and chased them around the house a bit. Then I ate all their phones and cut the electricity to their house so they can’t call the police for a while. And yes, I made sure they didn’t follow me home this time. Anyway, forget about the neighbors. Where’s Scarlett? She’s not in her room,” I asked in a panic.

“I thought she was with you. She came in here crying a little while ago and asked what was wrong with you. I explained to her that you were going through some changes and went for a walk, and she ran out the door calling for you. She kept kept repeating mommy on her way out,” Theo said.

“Well, she’s not with me. Why didn’t you stop her?” I asked.

“She ran to fast. I couldn’t stop her,” Theo said.

“You can’t outrun an eight year old? And you didn’t look for her?” I asked.

“No, not in my current condition. And let’s go look for her now,” Theo said.

We started running down the stairs to look for Scarlett, then stopped half way when we saw her in the doorframe, holding the neighbors bodies.

Theo had given her a hard stare and loudly whispered in awe, “you’ve changed. You look just like your mother.”

“What have you done with the neighbors?” I asked Scarlett.

“I heard what daddy said. Nobody calls mommy a monster. But don’t worry, mommy. They tasted delicious,” Scarlett said and giggled.

“But what if the police come by? You’ll be arrested for murder?” Theo said.

“Not if there’s no evidence. And a growing girl has got to eat,” I said.

I walked downstairs and swallowed the bones of the neighbors, grinding them to a pulp with my long, horrifying teeth.

“Thank you, mother,” Scarlett said, then used her extended jaw to smile.

“You know I got your back, baby girl,” I said.

“I’m going to bed. This is to much to think about tonight,” Theo said and rubbed his temples.

“Don’t worry, honey, everything will be ok. You said you didn’t care about my looks. And now we don’t have nosy neighbors to worry about. We can finally be monsters in peace, like a proper family,” I said.

“That’s true. I guess I can stop taking my pills now, too. But we stick to eating raw animals from now on. No more humans. I’m sick of them showing up at our house and throwing a tantrum every time they realize we’re the ones who ate their family member or friend or neighbor or whatever. I like this house. I like this neighborhood. I don’t want to have to eat another witness and run again,” Theo said.

“Deal. And you know how sexy I find it when you turn, too,” I told Theo. He growled and winked at me, then started to walk upstairs.

“Daddy,” Scarlett said.

“Yes, dear,” Theo said. Scarlett used her long legs to take one big step up the stairs. She then hugged Theo.

“I love you daddy,” Scarlett said.

“I love you too, my little monster,” Theo said, then hugged Scarlett back!

Copyright © 10/12/2023 by A.H. Mittelman. All rights reserved.