Frankenstein: The Cottagers

That night I lay on my straw but could not sleep; I longed to join these gentle people, yet I remembered the villagers’ stones and decided to stay hidden and watch.I soon found that the old man was blind, and that the two young people treated him with great love and respect.Yet they were not happy; the young man and the girl often went aside together and seemed to weep.

After a long time I discovered one reason for their sadness: they were very poor.They lived on vegetables from their garden and the milk of one cow, and the young ones often gave their food to the old man and kept none for themselves.I had been stealing some of their food at night, but when I understood that this hurt them, I stopped and ate berries and nuts from the woods instead.

I also saw that the young man spent most of each day gathering wood, so at night I borrowed his tools and brought home enough wood for several days.The next morning the girl opened the door and cried out in astonishment at the great pile of wood outside.Later I heard them speak of a “good spirit” who helped them, though at that time I did not understand the words.

By degrees I made a greater discovery: these people could share their thoughts and feelings with one another through sounds called words.It seemed a godlike science, and I wanted to learn it more than anything.After several months I learned my first words — fire, milk, bread and wood — and the names of the family: the old man was “father,” the girl was Agatha, and the young man was Felix.

Felix was the saddest of them all, yet on winter mornings he cleared the snow from his sister’s path and brought her the first little white flower that grew through the snow.In the evenings he read aloud to the others, and I realized that the marks on the paper were signs for the same sounds they spoke.I decided not to show myself to them until I could speak their language well, hoping my words would make them forget my ugly shape.

I had admired the beauty of my cottagers, but how terrified I was when I first saw myself in a clear pool!At first I jumped back, unable to believe it was really me; when I understood that I truly was a monster, I was filled with the bitterest sorrow.Still, spring came, the snow melted, the birds sang more cheerfully, and I began to hope that one day this family would accept me and even love me.