With Halloween nearly here, I’m wondering about the infamous monsters that have terrified children for eons. What if they weren’t being horrible on purpose, but were just misunderstood?
Moby Dick. He’s just swimming around, eating fish and squid and other slippery things, when these little creatures floating by on the ocean throw harpoons at him. The ship looks like an especially tasty giant squid, so he tries for a quick meal.
Kraken. These legendary giant squid may terrify sailors and wreck ships, but they’re only looking for love. Like a toddler squeezing a baby sibling, they want to give the ship a big hug but don’t realize their strength.
The Jabberwock. As described in Lewis Carroll’s poem, the Jabberwock is a scary, confusing creature with sharp teeth and claws. But the description has so many made-up words, the Jabberwock is just a platypus-like mishmash of parts. Poor Jabberwock.
The Balrog in “The Fellowship of the Ring.” With all that fire-breathing, can’t you tell he has a terrible fever? Even worse, he can’t seem to speak, so he can’t ask anyone for a glass of water or orange juice. Wouldn’t you be angry if a noisy hobbit woke you up when you were sick?
Frankenstein’s Monster. Of all misunderstood monsters, Frankenstein is the saddest. He doesn’t know how scary he looks, and he’s just trying to find a friend. If only everyone didn’t run away from him in terror.
After experiencing so much rejection and anger, these monsters probably need therapy. And somehow, you know their parents will be to blame.