A Father's Sin

Unlikely Monsters(Chapter Eight)

Elizabeth's "home" as it turns out is a castle, a very large one. It has four wings north, south, and east and west wings. She showed me some of it because of how big it was she just at some point gave directions to where and how far I am allowed to explore. I never got to say thank you to her son in person, he apparently saved my life from what Elizabeth told me.

He never joined us for meals or any activity for that matter. And running into him by accident in this vastness would be close to impossible except if I knew exactly where to find him. So sending my thanks through Elizabeth would have to be enough.

There was a library a very vast space filled with books as far as my eyes could see I liked it immediately. It filled my heart with familiar warmth.

I started spending a lot of time in the library, reading and trying to remember.

I would often wonder into other rooms in the castle but I always end up finding my way back to the library. The west wing was off limits, Elizabeth's son lived there. And he didn't like to be bothered.

Was he the one with the thunder voice?

The library was so large I sometimes ended up finding a whole new entire section and it was like going on an adventure.

Today, my wondering brought me to an adjoining room somewhere facing south in the large library.

It looked like a study, books all about several pens, inkwells, papers, fine sand. Which were all very much in use, it looked like the work station of a very dedicated scholar.

A book in the middle of all that mess caught my attention.

The cover made of fine leather, with a griffin on it that looked like a symbol. It looked like what a very expensive journal would look like.

Looking at the griffin, my mind almost opened to old memories but it vanished again. As quickly as it touched the surface of my mind is just...disappeared.

As I stood there staring at the griffin willing my lost memories to come back to me, lost in thought.

"What are you doing here?!"

The thunderous voice snarled harshly behind me.

The unmistakable contempt in the voice turned some of my fear into curiosity, it felt like the kind of contempt one would have for a person they have encountered before, a not so very pleasant first encounter to boot.

Instead of a very angry man with a scowl on his face to express fully his displeasure, my eyes met very expressive amber eyes that belonged to what looked like an over grown Siberian gray wolf that looked human like. It looked human like because it stood on two legs, had heavily muscled arms, large hands with sharp claws, was dressed in barely fitting clothing.

The shirtsleeves it had on barely covered its chest, the trousers barely reached his calves. This was the most incredible creature I have ever seen I thought.

"No one is allowed in here, don't you know it is bad manners going through things that belong to others"

There was a dangerous calmness to its thunderous voice now, a low rumble. The change of it anger from flames to hot red liquid fire sent chills down my spine.

"I am sorry, I meant you no disrespect I wasn't aware of your eemm...study I was just exploring the library when I came upon it." I said all that inclining my head a little and doing my best to not show any fear. But I had to remind myself to feel fear my curiosity was getting the better of me because I was certain I was now staring at it openly now judging by the way it too was looking at me.

"Are you done ogling me?" it said to me with its face splitting horizontally into what looked like a grin. The scariest grin I've ever seen surely. I had no control over what came out of my mouth next and no understand of it either. "You are the most incredible thing I have ever seen." I said that with a lot of awe in my voice.

"Yes incredibly vile, ugly, vicious monstrosity, devil spawn, hideous and whatever words you would use to express how repulsive you find me to be, I am very aware of how I look." It replied very dryly, with a look in its eyes that dared me to speak my truth.

"I don't know if I enough know you enough to think those about, I am simply saying I have never seen anything like you, ever." It looked taken aback, "so I do not frighten you?"

"Believe me you do but it's just really incredible that such a creature like yourself exists." Now it looked confused, "You're a very strange one."

"If you don't mind my asking, what are you? I-I-I-I mean how did you come to be this way? Were you born this way? Did something make you this way? Before my last question left my mouth its expression had turned really sour and really angry again also had a distant look in its eyes as if it would like throttle someone in particular and then the rest of the world after he was done with them.

"Get out."

It said this very quietly so quietly I almost thought I Imagined it with a very soft sigh of resignation, like I was too stupid to see the world how it saw it so there was no need for it to try to explain itself to me.

This would have offended me if I did not consider its bitterness to be tiredness and a loss of hope that made it look like it has lived a thousand life times, a thousand hopeless life times. But why, what made it reason that way?

"I SAID GET OUT!!!"

It roared at me when it noticed I was still standing there like I was rooted to the ground with what I was sure was a look of pity on my face. I ran out of the library as fast as I could, I did not even notice that I was ran. Not for fear that I had made it angry but for fear that I was capable of making it a lot angrier, because I was burning to ask more questions.

Eating in the large dining hall made me a little uncomfortable still, who need that much space to have meals in? The very gigantic dining table could sit more than 30 persons I was sure. And since it was only Elizabeth and that eat at the table I wondered if she normally ate like this, alone at this very large table I pictured it and it looked so lonely.

Maybe her son joined her at the table, but something made me doubt it. I don't think I was as grateful for her company as she was for mine, it had become somewhat like a routine for us that she would tell me how her day when if we did not spend the whole day together. Do not get me wrong I enjoyed being around the woman, for she had a very bright personality she always made smile and feel at home.

"Flowers are very delicate things my dear, they require attention and dedication to bloom..." She could talk about her garden for hours unending. I wasn't really paying attention to her for I was looking for the right moment to as politely about the creature I encountered in the library. Was there a polite way to ask? How would I ask? Elizabeth did you know you had a...what exactly is it? A creature not human definitely lives in your home. And what if she said there was no such creature? Had I imagined it? Maybe I was starting to lose my mind completely; maybe the injury to my head took away more than just my memories.

Well I would never know unless I...

"I saw something in the library today!" I interrupted her abruptly speaking very quickly not trusting myself to wait any longer.

"Something...?"

She asked slowly after a long pause she was looking at me more closely now. "In a study I found somewhere in the library."

"Oh."

She said with what looked like complete understanding. "I see you've met my son."

SON?!

She said this without batting an eyelash. "I hope he didn't scare you again" she said that like she was speaking to herself. What did she mean by again? I was almost certain I had never him before. And how in the name of the gods was it possible that she was the mother of that thing?

"How...?" This was all that came forth when I opened my mouth again. "Eat; you have barely touched your food. I will explain everything to you in due time." She spoke with calmness and assertiveness than left no room for protests, all the while eating her food like it was all a very natural situation for her. She many have taken my silence for compliance but the truth was, my brain was working very furiously to process the information I had just received.