Chapter Text
It's cliché to say, but my life changed forever when the monsters came to the surface. It had been so long ago since they were banished down there - not even my great-grandparents would have seen a monster in the flesh (or bone).
It was just an ordinary Friday morning when the news spread. I was sitting on the sofa in my run-down student apartment, chewing on a slightly-stale bowl of cereal, flicking through channels on the tv: 'Monsters from Underworld rejoining us on Surface!' the headlines read. I almost dropped my cereal in absolute shock and excitement at that statement.
All throughout my life I had been fascinated with monster history; ever since I was a kid I would devour ancient articles and dusty novels and difficulty-worded textbooks to feed my hunger; to know more about these unknown, fascinating creatures. And then, in the last few years of my education, I was even working towards a qualification in 'Monster History' in college. In all honesty, there were very few people on my course. There were only one or two colleges in the world who even gave the option of this subject; monsters were a taboo topic in many countries. However, due to the majority of monsters living under my country they were much more open about offering it. Even so, many people stuck their nose up at the subject of monsters and despite having never met one, would shun and insult them. Guess they still believed the old tales that were told about them.
Well, sucks to those people, because on that not-so-normal Friday my life changed forever.
Quickly discarding my breakfast, I threw on somewhat presentable clothes and sprinted for the door. I HAD to go see my history teacher. He must have heard the news by now too! Five minutes later, skidding to a halt at the history building of my college, I scanned the area for any sign of my teacher. Yes, I was two hours early for my lecture today and it was 8 in the morning, but still! Scanning myself into the building, I frantically stormed past each door in the building until I reached my home: the monster history department, and Mr Ebott's office. He was supposedly a descendant of a human who fell down there and never returned, or at least that was what he liked to tell us. Walking into his room, I found him sitting at his desk, his face about an inch from his computer screen.
This small room's deep-red coloured walls were crammed full with huge tomes he'd collected on his travels in search of monsters and monster artefacts. Apart from the clutter of books, a mahogany desk stood in the centre with an outdated computer and piles of paperwork crowding the table. At the back of the room, cream blinds were half open, letting slits of morning light shine through.
Panting from running all the way there, I exclaimed,
"You've heard, right!?"
He looked up, startled by my presence but his mouth stretched into a smile when he saw it was me, and his large grey moustache lifted upwards to reveal yellowing teeth. I was probably his favourite student: I asked the questions, I read the books, and have spent many the hours debating with him about everything to do with monsters.
"Ah, my most brilliant student! Come here!"
His brown eyes sparkled with wonder and joy. I expect he'd never thought he'd see a monster in his life. Walking around to the other side of his desk to glance at the screen, I saw a blurry picture of what looked like a goat-woman holding the hand of a human child. I gasped in surprise at this unexpected image. I didn't think photos of them would yet be circulating. Besides, the only pictures I've seen of monsters were reconstructions and sketches in ancient novels.
"Amazing, isn't it? As one of the only professors of monster history in the world, I'm hoping I'll get special permissions to hold interviews with them soon! I can't believe that they're here, I just can't believe it!"
He readjusted his round glasses and kept scrolling through articles, trying to absorb all the information he could.
"Where are they now, professor?"
Mr Ebott stopped scrolling to intently read a long paragraph. Suddenly he stood up, and papers from his desk flung to the ground.
"They're here."
"What?"
"They emerged from our mountain - they must be nearby!"
His bass voice rose a few octaves in ecstatic discovery and grabbed his tweed blazer hanging over the leather swivel chair,
"Come, we must find them!"
My throat constricted and my body froze; they're near here!? They, the monsters who I had spent my entire life studying and staring at intricate sketches of their world and carefully printing passages about them from tattered yellowed volumes? The professor had already started striding out of the building and I followed suit. We both clambered into his old fiat punto and with tyres screeching, raced to the mountain. Nearing the foot of the mountain, a black mass came in sight. As we drove closer, we distinguished this darkness as hundreds of people. Flashes were going off left right and centre from reporters' expensive cameras. Mr Ebott, impatient with the media, flung himself out the car and started pushing through the piles of shouting journalists. He was leaving a path clear; I followed into the maze of photographers. A shriek emitted from the professor's mouth as he neared the front of the crowd.
He halted.
Catching up to him, I stood at his side and followed his gaze. And in this small clearing beneath this gigantic mountain stood monsters. Real life monsters. It appeared that most of the monsters had already left the underground and only the important monsters were left, and the stragglers. There were bugs, fish, reptiles and even skeleton monsters milling about, starry eyed and intimidated by the swarm of humans surrounding them. A male goat monster stood in the middle and towered above the rest, regal velvet cape flowing in the light breeze. A small gold crown rested comfortably on top of his head. It was clear to see that the reporters thought him to be the best monster for their juicy news scoops.
And I wanted to know more.