You never hear reports of monsters in the news these days. All the vampires, werewolves and ghouls have retreated back into folklore. No-one worries about what creatures stalk them in the night.
This always upset me. I refused to believe that the world was so banal. That you could hike until the sun came up, and never find something with wings and teeth looking to eat you. So I spent my evenings looking for the moment that everything changed. Trying to discover what catalyst took away our enemies. Life had to be more magical and terrifying than gas bills.
I cracked the mystery one glorious summer's evening, the red and vibrant sunset outside my window. The answer is so obvious you will kick yourself.
All monsters hide in the dark. They remain in the shadows. They use the cover of night to rise from the grave, and knock on your front door.
The low lumens of gas or candles once allowed for some movement. But imagine all our streetlights. The neon signs of takeaways, and the headlamps of a million cars. It is not just the stars that have disappeared. The monsters have vanished too.
Even after this discovery I knew it could not be that simple. This was not an extinction event. Sea creatures adapt to immense pressure. Foxes change their diet to the contents of bins. Life bends around circumstances to find a way to thrive.
I worked out the perfect spot to test my theory. A piece of scrubland near where the motorway met the countryside. The point where scalding lighting meets total darkness.
The taxi driver was reluctant to drop me off in such a remote spot, but took my money anyway. I scrambled over the rumble strip, and slipped into the gloom.
My eyes adjusted until the wall of night turned to a more manageable shade of grey. This in turn revealed my prize. Their claws. Their rotten faces. Tails with forked ends. A dozen mouths groaned and howled.
I sat on the grass, and watched. Their feet and hooves peeked into the first few millimeters of the light. Something with tentacles almost had a grasp on my throat. Those with faces grinned with anticipation of days to come. A clown tapped the watch on his wrist with a bloodied cleaver, and a vampire licked his lips. Soon there would be a reason to fear the night again.
Line: Life bends around circumstances to find a way to thrive.
