Monsters

I awoke to the feeling of someone watching me. I opened my eyes to nothing as I had done since I was five. I heard footsteps running into the corn. I figured it was a thief running to the shed, but  why would a thief be at my window? I buttoned up my robe and got out of bed.1

"One two three four." I counted my steps and reached for the walking stick on my wall. I counted the stairs and the four steps to the door. "One two three four five six..." I counted on my way to the corn shed. "Seventeen eighteen-" my cane hit something and I stopped. I reached out and quickly pulled my hand slightly back as my fingertips touched something. I ran my hand over his face to see if it was someone I knew. When I realized it wasnt, I tripped trying to back away. I heard him coming closer to me, he was breathing heavily as if scared. He knelt beside me and I quickly sat up. He pushed the hair out of my face and stared at me as if deeply confused.2

"I didnt mean to scare you..." he helped me up then dissapeared, at least I think he did. I went back in the castle and got dressed for breakfast. 3

"Aguard said you were up early this morning?" The king asked, he had taken pity on me as a child for blindness and was like a father. I hadnt been outside the corn since, I was told it wasnt safe. And thats how I remembered it too. The walls always stained in red, peasants fleeing frome horrid creatures. There werent many people left living out there. But nothing dared to enter the corn, no one knew why, but they didnt need to.4

"Yes, there was a man outside my window, I followed him in the corn, he wasnnt from the castle, i didnt recognize his face." I sat down and began eating.5

"Did he hurt you?!" 6

"No, he scared me but he didnt mean to." I paused for a moment then happily began eating again.7

"How do you know?"8

"He told me." a maid walked up beside me and I could feel her eyes piercing into me.9

"Did his sweat or blood touch you?" Her german accent was as accusing as her eyes.10

"No Agatha I'm fine, thats just a myth anyway." I finished my meal and went into the corn with the kings son who I was to marry at the proper age. He liked me, and I didnt like him, he thinks that losing my site has made me blind of his perverted stares.11

"I picked you a rose!" He placed the flower inn my hands.12

"That was sweet of you, but I only like black roses." I could feel he was disapointed.13

"How do you know what color it is?" 14

"Because the only black roses left live only in my dead mothers garden which is past the corn."15

"How do you know I didnt go pick it?"16

"Because youre not man enough to change your own clothes."17

"You dont talk to the king like that!" he yelled piercing my ears.18

"Your not the king. And if this is in fact a rose from my dead mothers garden I shall hear you step on the rocks while I am safely in the corn?" I heard him run out of the corn a laughed to myself. I ventured deeper into the corn but stopped hearing footsteps.19

"Boo! did I scare you!?" I heard a friendly familiar voice.20

"Yes you did!" I yelled laughing then continued walking.21

"What you lack in site is plenty made up for in hearin' Ms. rose." He walked beside me.22

"Well Mr. Parker hows life been since we last talked?"23

"Same, how about yours?"24

"There was a man at my window lastnight..."25

"Ive heard this much from whispers, but I like to hear it from you."26

"So thats why your  here? Well if its what you want to hear Ill tell you, he was no man at all. But you best not tell anyone."27

"Why not? monsters are to be slayed, no?" he questioned.28

"This one was no monster either, they dont pass into the corn, and you shouldnt call them monsters, they were all good men and women before the plague."29

"Yes 'BEFORE THE PLAGUE' but that time is no more. So if hes not a man nor monster what would that leave him to be?"30

"Well I suppose he is a monster, but he didnt smell of disease, and the only words spoken were kind."31

"I worry about you sometimes rose, be careful and dont do anything stupid!" He left as we came upon my watchtower. I layed down in thought but let my curiosity take the better part of me. In the middle of the night I climbed from the tower and headed east to the border of the corn. about an hour later I heard a slight noise then felt someone in front of me. I stopped knowing that it was the monster. he took my hand placed a flowere into it. I felt thorns and knew it was a black rose, it had to be.32

"I picked it from your mothers garden." I smiled looked down at it imagining what i looked like.33

"Thankyou, I wish to ask you, if your truly a monster?"34

"Yes, I am, but not like the ones who lurk past th borders."35

"What mkes you different?"36

"Have you ever wondered why they do not enter the corn? of course everyone does. The disease used to live off corn, unseen and un noticed, only infecting one person. But soon the infection grew greedy and dependant on it, it spread and spread and till there was no one left in the town, and its hunger still did not satisfy, the dark magic it contained possesed the people and traveled to your town. But the corn grew to sweet for the bitter disease and the smell drives it to insanity, they thrive now on meat."37

"Thats interesting but how are you different?"38

"I can feel some emotions, pity, fear, and love. But I didnt until I saw you." I paused flattered yet confused. 39

"But you dont know me?"40

"I dont have too, your blind yet you can see better than anyone, last night when I was at your window, you could have called the guards, but you came outside to see for yourself, your as brave as a monster and as beautiful as a human."41

"Well thats very sweet, but even if I did love you there could be nothing. I am to mary 'the mighty Prince Verdan' in two weeks. So unless hes dead by then, which I wouldnt exactly be heartbroken, your out of luck." I awaited a response but got nothing. I began to wonder if he would rid me of the pestering prince? And if he did there would be no reason to go to the town. He could answer my questions. two weeks, I just hope the king wouldnt be to broken. I went back to my room and put the rose in a vase with the one that mom had given to me before I left.42

Breakfast43

"Has anyone seen the prince this morning?" I questioned hopefully not sensing him there.44

"He was, umm feeling ill this morning and stayed in bed." The king lied, i suspected he was still upset from me rejecting his rose. I started to eat but heard running in the hall. I didnt suspect anyone else heard so it wouldnt be suspicios for me to check it out. I walked down the hall with all the guards eyes following me. I stopped at the end of the hall hearing a sound from an empty guests room. I opened the door and shut it behind me. Suddenly I felt a strong hand grab my waist and pull me closer. It was the monster. A lot of thoughts went through my head at this point, actually I formulated a plan to make my life perfect at that very moment. Which is what convinced me to play along with the monster and his dirty acts of love.45

"Whats your name?" I whispered devilishly smilingly.46

"Thomas." He quickly answered then passionately kissed me. He pushed me down onto the bed and pushed my dress ups to my hips. About five minutes later I hit my peak and screamed out in pleasureous pain, it alerted the guards as I had suspected. They barged through the door and as soon they saw thomas he jumped out the window. I hurridly fixed my dress and ran to the king who had come into the room after the guards.47

"It was a monster! The one who got past the corn last night! Kill it please!" I cried into his chest. He petted my head and directed the guards after him. I smiled at my plans success so far.48

"You know I love you, as I would love my own daughter, but to be king, you must marry a virgin. This title has been stolen from you, I'm sorry." He stepped away and tears rolled down his cheeks. As soon as he was gone I went into the corn.49

"Thomas is that you!?" I whispered hearing footsteps.50

"No this is Parker! whos Thomas?"51

"Quick we must go to the tower! No one is to hear us speak!" I held out my hand and he led me to my tower.52

"Hes the monster isnt he!?" parker yelled and I looked at my feet. "I told you not do nothing stupid! Rose why!" I perked up at the question.53

"Because I have a plan! I can finally get revenge for my mother, be queen, and be happy." 54

"Well it better be a damned good one! Now explain what youve been doing?"55

"Well last night, the monster confessed his love. I was flattered, but i told him the truth, there could be nothing unless Verdan, died before the wedding. Today he led me into the guests bedroom, where my plan formulated, we made love and my last scream  alerted the guards, he ran when they came with the king, and I cried to the king that hed disgustingly raped me, and although sorry he canceled the wedding for I had been deflowered. Im positive, that Thomas will execute the prince, and the king will have no choice but to appoint me princess. Now, heres where revenge comes, theres a mushroom found inmy mothers garden, its what the roses life source is, Thomas will retrieve one and Ill place it in the kings soup. since i will be the only with access to him. I will be queen and Thomas who is obviously madly in love, will do what ever I want, and provide pleasure of course. He will be willing to do something he thinks is a kinky sex game, but is actually a ritual, all the disease will be cured and his body will contain the plague."56

"Then youll kill him?"57

"To save my village!"58

"You know rose, one day theyll write poetry about the blind girl, with ears of a bat, the brains of a genious, and a heart incapable of loving a bastard, theyll just word it different." we laughed and I gave him a hug. I went back to the corn in search of thomas.59

"Why did you accuse me of rape?" I heard Thomas and turned around.60

"What? Did you really expect me to go to the gallows?!" I said pretending I was angry. He thought for a while and I almost thought hed dissapeared again.61

"So now we can be together now right?"62

"No!the prince is goinng to try and find a wife! I cant let that happen, if it does hell be king and shell banish me knowing he loves me more! He must be killed, NOW!" he dissapeared and I went to the border. Staring into the black and painting my village with all the colors Id remembered, red, green, brown, yellow, blue. I knew they werent there anymore, I was kind of glad I wasnt there to see how theyd ruined it. Soon enough it would be better though, children would be able dwell in the colors. 63

The next morning the king morned his son. It was strange that I cared about the king so much yet wanted him dead, but its the only way to get closure for my mothers death. She was lucky enough not to suffer from the plague, but when the plague reached us he began monthly slotters, he sent his soldiers to the village to kill those who were infected or had contact with them. I stood in the shadows watching as a soldier brutally beat her to death with the dull side of an ax. that was the last thing I saw.64