The monster formerly known as Tod

As you have no doubt noticed, I have added two links to the "Other Things To Read" section of my blog. "Random Reflections" is full of fantastic and witty writing, and is a blog you should not hesitate to read. "Daily Monster" is, for those of you not in the know, a very cool site. Each day, a time-lapsed recording is made of the creation of a monster, and readers are encouraged to write a story about a particular day's new creature. Check out both these great sites.

Anyway, today I decided to write a story about monster no. 96. I posted it on the Daily Monster site, but will reprint it here. Now, I know that the writing is not all that grand, and the story is lacking in brilliance, but it is my first go at this type of thing. I'll be writing a new one for monster no. 97 tomorrow, and monster no. 98 after that. But, until then, here is the story of how monster no. 96 (formerly known as Tod) came to be so grumpy. Hope you like it (or are at least mildly entertained).

There are very few who look forward to the prospect of public speaking. Until a few years ago, monster no. 96 was a member of that group. He used to speak at all sorts of events, from high school graduation ceremonies to baseball games. Even the most nerve-racking types of speaking engagements, such as the ones in front of a group of people while standing in one's underwear didn't bother monster no. 96 (whose real name is actually Tod) in the least. However, during one routine speech concerning meal-time etiquette at a summer camp for teens, Tod was met with one of the most embarrassing situations one can imagine. While in front of the group of already heckling sixteen year olds, something began to happen to Tod's face. His mouth began to open wider, and wider, and wider, uncontrollably so, until finally his upper lip was where the bridge of his nose normally was--it had, of course, fallen off by this point--and his lower lip was at the level of his no longer distinguishable Adam's apple. As if that weren't bad enough, while the large, coarse hairs began to sprout from the back of his throat, Tod's back began to split down the middle and bursted into two puny looking bat wings. Amidst the laughter and camera flashes, Tod was able to fly away, but never again would he regain his former jolly demeanor. He would acquire the name "Monster No. 96" and would never again be seen or heard speaking publicly again.