Monster, Part 3

The downpour continued for the next half an hour as Monster ran block to block, looking for any place he could duck in out of the rain.  The dimly lit interior of a 24-hour Burger King caught his eye on Canada Boulevard and he made his way across the street.  A solitary cab ran the red light and showered him with a wave of water just before he reached the far curb.

He stepped inside, shivering, and stamped his feet on the hard tile.  A couple deep in conversation sat in a huddled corner and a scraggle-bearded man sat nursing a cup of coffee near the street-side window.  No one noticed as Monster entered except the boy behind the counter.  His pimply eyes bulged at the sight of the figure who had just walked in, and he hunched his shoulders and lowered his head as though he was trying to fold inside himself.

"A cup of coffee and a burger."  Monster huffed.

"The scared cashier tried to keep his voice from cracking as he screeched, "We're serving breakfast."

Just my luck, thought Monster.  As he searched the breakfast menu for something worth eating, he heard the chime of the door being opened and turned.  The sight of the creature walking into the restaurant made Monster's blood run cold.  

He gasped and shouted, "YOU!!!"

Monster, Part 2

The glow of neon light lit up the small corner diner as Monster crossed the street.  The bell chimed as he pushed his way through the heavy glass door.  There was no one to be seen inside the diner and no sound except for the muted Eagles song playing somewhere in the back.  Monster picked out a booth as slid onto the red vinyl bench.

He waited.

He was resting his head in his hands, his elbows on the table, when he heard voices coming from the kitchen.  Two characters came out through the swinging doors, an angry little man carrying his rumpled fedora in one hand and waving the index finger of the other, and an even  smaller woman, waving her hands in the air and shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Whaddya mean cheatin'!" she yelled in a thick Irish accent.  "Why ahm bein' as honest as the day I was born!"

He laughed and replied, "You prob'ly told the doctor you was a boy!"  The he went on.  "All I'ma sayin' is you had four aces, that's all.  I didn't mean nothin' by it, you've got the luck tonight."

But she would not be calmed.  "You called me a cheat, Tom, you did!  An' I won't be called a cheat by you or anyone else!"

He was about to apologize again when she stopped short.  Monster was staring at the two of them and now the two of them were staring at him.  She looked frightened, but he could not tell why.  The man, Tom, squared his shoulders and took a short step forward, partially blocking the woman with his body.

"The place is closed."  He said.

"Oh," exclaimed Monster, "I didn't know."  A pause.  "I'm sorry.  He grabbed his coat which he had laid on the bench beside him and got up to leave.  She had now grabbed Tom's shoulders as if using him for a shield, her fingernails dug into his threadbare jacket.  Monster made his way past the couple as quickly as he could and stepped once more into the street.  It had begun to rain.

Monster, Part 1

Monster, pen held lightly in his hand, bent over the blank page.  His brow was furrowed, lost in thought and frustration.  He needed a break.  He grabbed the sheet and clenched it in his fist.  Then, throwing the wadded blank page behind him, he rose.

"Maybe some coffee."  He muttered to himself, and he stormed out the door.

In the corridor of the apartment building, just outside door 3F, he met Mrs. Bottlesworth with her cat.  As he bent down to pet the little tabby, Mrs. Bottlesworth shouted, "No!" and the cat arched her back, bristled her tail and hissed.  Quickly Monster drew back his hand, slipping it into the pocket of his trench coat, and stood up.  As soon as the incident began, it had ended, and Mrs. Bottlesworth continued down the hall as if nothing had happened.

"Strange." he thought, rubbing the back of his neck.  The elevator chimed, the doors slid open with a whir, and Monster stepped inside.