Chapter 16

"I spent the night hiding in the woods. Once the sun came up, I began to think more clearly. It had been a mistake to speak to the old man that way. I should have stayed only a minute or so. If I had done this a few times, he would have gotten used to speaking to me. Then things might have turned out differently. 

I went back to the shack and hid in the bushes. I looked for old DeLacy. I didn't see him. Felix was there. He was talking to a man I had never seen before. The stranger seemed angry. 'This will cost you all you have,' he said to Felix. 'I don't care,' Felix said. 'We cannot stay here. My father's life is in danger. You don't know. You didn't see the thing that had hold of him.' 

And so, the DeLacys moved away. The only happiness in my life went with them. Once again, I was alone in the world. I heard men out in the woods. I was sure they were looking for the 'terri ble thing.' They were looking for me. But where could I go? I stopped feeling sad. I began to feel angry. One night, I went back to the cottage. I burned it down. Then I began to think about you, Frankenstein. It was your fault that my life was so unhappy. I decided to punish you. 

I looked in your notebook. I saw that you lived in Geneva. I remembered from Safie's lessons that Geneva was in Switzerland. I began to walk from Germany to Switzerland. It was a long, hard trip. Crossing mountains the way I did would have killed any other man. I would have welcomed death. But you made me too strong, Frankenstein. The trip didn't kill me. I was in Switzerland when another awful thing happened. I was out in the woods when I heard voices. I hid behind a tree, near a fast mountain stream. A little girl ran out of the trees. She was laughing. Far behind her, I heard other voices. The girl must have been playing hide-and-seek. She wasn't watching where she was running. She got too close to the stream, and slipped into the fast waters. She screamed. I saw her, and jumped in after her. The waters were strong. Any other man could not have saved her. But I did. 

I got her safely to the side of the stream. As soon as she got a good look at me, she began to scream for help. 'Please, I won't hurt you,' I said. But it was no use. She kept screaming. Just then, a group of men ran out of the woods. One of them had a gun. He fired at me, and I was hit in the shoulder. Before he could shoot again, I ran deeper into the woods. 

I was in terrible pain. I didn't know if the bullet was still in my shoulder or not. It didn't matter. I had no way of getting it out. 

Still, I kept walking toward Geneva. As I walked, I thought, 'So this is what I get for being good: I get shot.' I thought again of who had caused this pain. It wasn't the man with the gun. It was you, Frankenstein. You had made me the ugly thing I am. But I would get back at you, once I got to Geneva. 

After two months, I finally reached Geneva. I found a quiet place near the lake and hid myself. I thought about all that had happened in my short life. As the sun went down, I heard some sounds in the bushes nearby. Suddenly, a little child burst upon my hiding place. He was a beautiful child. He had blond hair and blue eyes. I looked at him. He was so young and sweet. I thought, 'Maybe I can talk to this boy. He hasn't lived long enough to think I'm ugly. Children will trust. They haven't been taught to hate yet.' 

Thinking this, I grabbed the boy's hand. As soon as he saw me, he put his hands in front of his eyes and screamed. 'Child, why are you scream ing?' I asked. 'I won't hurt you. Just listen to me!' 

'Let me go, you monster!' he cried. 'You want to tear me into pieces, and eat me all up! Let me go, or I'll tell my papa!' I held onto his hand. I told him to come with me or he would never see his family again. 'No, I won't go with you!' the child cried. 'Let me go, or my papa will take care of you. He's an important man. He's Mr. Frankenstein. Don't you dare hurt me!' As soon as I heard the name, I became angry. 'Frankenstein!' I cried. 'You belong to him? I promised myself I would get even with Franken stein. And I will start with you!' The child began to scream even more. I tried to quiet him. 

I grabbed his throat. But I am so strong, and the child was so small ... in a moment, he was dead. 

At first, I felt bad. Then I was filled with joy. I even clapped my hands in hellish joy. This child belonged to your family. I would show you. I would bring as much sadness to you as you had to me! As I looked down at the child, I saw something on his coat. It was a pin with a picture of a beautiful woman on it. I took it. I walked away, looking at the lovely face. It was a kind face. As I looked at it, I began to feel better. But then I became angry again. Such a woman would never look at me without hatred in her eyes. 

I walked on. Soon I came to a barn. A pretty young woman was sleeping inside. I bent over her and whispered sweet words of love to her. She moved in her sleep. I drew back. I knew that if she woke up, she would see me and scream. A woman could never be my friend. Suddenly, I was filled with anger at her. She would run from me if she saw me. She would never know what I was really like inside. 

She would see me only as an ugly monster. Well, if she would make me suffer, then she would suffer, too. 

From listening to Felix, I had learned some thing about the law. If the pin was found on her, the police would blame her for the boy's death. I slipped it into her pocket. Then I ran away from the barn. 

I have stayed near Geneva since then. I knew that one day I would find you, Frankenstein. Now I have. You will never be rid of me. I will bring sadness and harm to all you love, unless you do one thing for me. I am alone, and everyone runs from me. I want company. I want someone as ugly as I am. Frankenstein, you will create another like me. But this one will be a woman. You will make a wife for me!"