“There once was a boy, much like you, who lived in a place much different than this. Where the boy lived, there were grassy plains, forests of green and brown, and pools of water that stretched for miles.
This boy grew up in a village of proud warriors, and none were more proud than his own family. When the little boys of this village wanted to go out and explore the galaxy, they first had to go find and slay a mighty monster.
One day, the little boy decided he was tired of the plains and the trees and the pools, and he wanted to go on his own adventures and see the lands of fire and ice, of water and air, of light and darkness. So the boy gathered his sling and a few rocks and set out to find a monster.
He went to the fields, where he saw a beast covered in long fur, with curly horns as big as tree trunks. It towered over him, blocking out the very sun itself. The boy went up to this beast and asked him if he was a monster.
The beast shook it’s head and said, ‘no, I am no monster. I am a peaceful wanderer, and I love to eat the grass of the plains and bask in the warm sun overhead. If you want to find a monster, go try the forest. I saw a scary creature there.’
The little boy thanked the beast and went to the forest to find his monster so that he could travel among the stars.
When he reached the dark forest, he saw a large creature. It had bright red eyes, four big arms, and long teeth that rose from it’s lower lip like stalagmites. The boy went up to this creature and asked her if she was a monster.
The creature shook it’s head and said, ‘no, I am no monster. I am a hunter just like you. I walk through the trees everyday, finding food and caring for all of my babies. If you want to find a monster, go try the pools. I saw a scary titan there.’
The little boy thanked the creature and went to the pools to find his monster so that he could finally visit the colorful worlds he had seen only in books.
He went to the pools, where he saw a titan the size of a house. It swam in the depths, with sharp fins, deep scars, and rows of teeth as big as the boy’s head. The boy went up to this titan and asked him if he was a monster.
The titan shook it’s head and said, ‘no, I am no monster. All I do every day is swim. Sometimes I come up to see the light of your beautiful moon, but mostly I swim in the deep waters, where it’s dark and cold and quiet. I like the quiet. If you want to find a monster, go back to your village. I saw a bunch of scary monsters there.’
The little boy left the pools disappointed and confused, trying to think of a time when he had seen a monster in his village. If they were truly there, why had none of the other villagers told him instead of sending him out into the plains and the forests and the pools. All he wanted to do was see, up close, all of the planets that were only tiny specks from his window.
The boy made it back to the village just as the sun began to set. He went to his room, putting down his sling and his stones, and prepared for bed after a long day, just like you.
As he tried to fall asleep, he heard a loud sound coming from under his bed. A dark, swirling mist filled his room. And a monster appeared, covered with hundreds of eyes, claws, and fangs. And it stared at the boy, ready to consume him in a single motion.”
Tita pulled his covers up over himself, only allowing his bright, lavender eyes to peek out and stare at his mother in fright.
Mina continued, “the boy looked into the countless eyes and asked it if it was a monster.
‘Yes,’ the creature said, ‘I am a monster.’
The boy looked at all of the eyes and claws and fangs and said, ‘why couldn’t I find you out in the plains or the forest or the pools? And why didn’t the villagers tell me you were here?’
The monster’s mouths snickered, ‘because I am your monster. I was with you at the plains and the forest and the pools. And I have always been with you in the village. I have lived inside of you, but now that you’re old enough, it’s my turn to take over.’
The little boy would not have it. He knew if the monster got loose, it would hurt the people in his village and the beast in the plains and the creature in the forest and the titan in the pools. He needed to protect them. All of them. This was his monster, and he was the only one who could fight it.
He grabbed his sling and his rocks and he fought the scary monster. For what felt like hours, days, and weeks, he fought it. They fought in the lowest crevices and on the highest mountaintops, until they finally ended up back in the boy’s room at the foot of his bed.
With one final blow, he struck the monster. It screamed as it began to crack and light shone from within it. The swirling black mist, and all of the eyes and claws and fangs went back into the boy and suddenly it was quiet once again.
The boy knew that the monster was not dead, but only trapped. And that someday, when it was strong enough, it would come back out again to consume the boy. But the boy would travel to new worlds, find new weapons, learn new ways to fight, and make many new friends.
And he would be ready.
The monster would not scare anyone anymore, and all the people in the galaxy would be safe once again.”
Star Wars Fan Publications 