Chapter 2
I was five years old sitting in my Grandfather's study watching as he dusted the shelves. I used to follow him like a shadow back then. Normally he'd try to keep me amused by pulling funny faces or putting a duster on his head and pretending to be a peacock, but that day was different. That day he was a man on a mission and there was nothing to laugh about.
"Do you remember what I told you about monsters Michael?" He asked.
Monsters? I thought to myself. I stared up at my grandfather who was patiently waiting for an answer. I tilted my head and racked my brain for an answer, but my mind came up blank.
"Monsters?" I questioned while wondering if he was referring to the monsters in my picture book.
He sighed and returned his attention to the bookshelf in front of him. Grandpa's study was amazing back then. It was full of numerous books and scriptures, some of them hundreds of years old. He scanned his fingers over the old volumes until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a worn looking book and began to flip through the pages.
"Real monsters," he said. "Are animal spirits that inhabit this world. We talked about this the other day, does it ring any bells Michael?”
Animal spirits, animal spirits. It seemed vaguely familiar. Like one of the long speeches he would give me while my attention was elsewhere, like watching TV.
Grandpa sighed. "Monsters take the form of animals so they can blend in with the natural world."
"I remember now!" Actually, I didn't, but I wanted to look smart in front of Grandpa.
He continued to flip through the pages until he landed on what he was looking for, and held it up for me to see. It appeared to be a picture book, except someone forgot to color the pages. I stared at the image of a raccoon, or maybe it was a dog, I wasn't certain.
"There are many animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, wolves, or snakes, which monsters use to disguise themselves. Pay attention to this raccoon Michael. This monster disguises itself as a harmless raccoon so that it can blend in unnoticed. But if an opportunity presents itself, this raccoon transforms into a monster and attacks or devours humans."
"Attacks humans?" My eyes scanned over the image of a giant raccoon assaulting an entire village. Miniature black and white people ran away in fear. "Wow, so this little raccoon, can turn into that giant monster?"
"Not just this sort of monster Michael, there are also monsters who can take the form of people."
He flipped to another page that illustrated a wolf turning into a man. It looked like a scene from a horror movie.
"Really?" I questioned.
I suddenly wondered if the strange old woman down the street was secretly a raccoon. She certainly smelled like some sort of animal.
"How can you tell?"
"Such monsters usually disguise themselves as beautiful young women so they can trick men and steal their hearts."
He turned the page to show me a naked woman. Her hand was halfway through a man's chest. I didn't appreciate her figure at the time, but looking back on it now she was pretty hot, except for the bushy tail sticking out from her behind.
He tapped his finger on her picture. "And this is the fox, the most feared of them all. If you run into her, your chances of survival are slim."
"Wow."
I stared at the picture intensely, and swore to myself that I would avoid all naked women from now on. I was grateful that Grandpa had decided to tell me about monsters. I never realized the world was such a dangerous place.
"Have you ever met a monster Grandpa?"
Grandpa smiled and closed the book. "More times than I can count, but Grandpa scared them all away."
I pictured my grandfather hobbling along after a pack of wild animals, waving his cane to fight them off. Grandpa was obviously more awesome than I ever expected.
"Wow, that's great Grandpa, I want to scare away monsters too. Someone has to protect you from this heart eating lady."
He laughed. "I hope so. Maybe when you get bigger you can give this fox monster a run for its money."
He reached out and ruffled my hair. His hand lingered there for a moment before he pulled away.
From that point on I began to look at all animals differently. I even began to wonder if the cat next door was an evil monster planning to kill me.
Of course I was sadly disappointed when no mystical monsters appeared before me and the neighbor's dog (which I often spoke with) never spoke back. I even made myself a miniature paper sword, so that I could fend off the fox monster if it suddenly attacked. I would sit on the verandah for hours as though guarding off a monster invasion. Little did I know that this would be my fate in ten years time.
As a child, my grandfather was my idol. He was one of those awesome guys you could brag to your friends about. We used to play catch together all afternoon, and he never refused a game of hide and seek. He was kind, patient, and I don't remember him ever raising his voice.
Unfortunately the monster stories are the only ones that I can remember. I was only five when he adopted me and he passed away a year later. He was the one who gave me my name, Michael Matsumoto, which was also the name of his deceased son.
I know it sounds creepy. Everyone thinks he was trying to use me as a replacement for his dead child. Apparently his wife left after the death of their son and his daughter went to college. I believe that he was just lonely and instead of getting a dog he decided to get himself a kid . Whatever his reasoning, it all worked out in the end. Even though I lost him, I would have nothing if it weren't for Grandpa.
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