I do not know. But then a sound wakened me. I looked up. There was something standing by my bed. It was bending over me. The Monster! It was making noises. Baby noises! There was a smile on its frightening face. A baby smile. It was coming closer with its oozy eyes.

I jumped off the other side of the bed. But the door was behind the Monster. I would have to get past the horrid thing to escape. The Monster reached out to touch me. As if I were its father! I couldn’t stand it. My jacket was hanging on a hook nearby. I pulled it off and threw it in the Monster’s face. Those awful yellow eyes were covered!

 

I ran to the door, into the hall, down the stairs! There was another door. I pushed it open. Then a gate. I pushed that too. Now I was away from the house. I kept running and running and running. Was it behind me? Was it chasing me? I wouldn’t look back. I couldn’t look back! I couldn’t stand the thought of its touching me! Looking at me!

But I could not keep going on. My eyes rolled in my head. Everything began to turn upside down in front of me. And suddenly I smashed into something. It was my very good friend, Clerval.

“My dear Victor,” he exclaimed, “what is the matter?”

“Save me! Oh, save me!” I cried.

“Save you from what?” he asked.

“Nothing!” I said, for how could I tell him about the Monster? About that THING I had made?

“But you look so ill. What has happened to you? What are you afraid of?”

“Don’t ask me. You must not know! Do you hear me, Clerval?”

But just then I thought I saw the Thing! There was really nothing there. But I must have been out of my head.

“It’s here! It’s here!” I shouted, and I grabbed hold of my friend.