The Monster Under the Bed - 57

AND SO, THE LESSONS BEGAN...
WE STARTED WITH THE BASICS; I TAUGHT HER SOME BASIC EARTH GEOGRAPHY AND SHE TAUGHT
ME LITTLE ABOUT WHERE SHE CAME FROM - A PLACE SHE SIMPLY REFERRED TO AS NOX IT WAS
AN ENCLOSED, WORLD WHICH TO ME RECALLED MOTIONS OF A BEEHIVE OR AN ANT
COLONY IN NATURE, BUT ON A MUCH VASTER SCALE. IT CONSISTED MOSTLY OF A WINDING
SERIES OF TUNNELS SHE CALLED THE AXIS, AND WAS DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL DIFFERENT
TERRITORIES, EACH CONTROLLED BY A SEPARATE FACTION. I WANTED TO KNOW MORE,
BUT SHE RE SED TO ELABORATE FURTHER AT THE TIME.
I TOLD HER OF MY FAMILY, AND SHE OPENED
UP ABOUT HER OWN CIRCUMSTANCES AT LAST,
SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS IN THE JUNIOR
N 'tst''' RANKS OF A SPECIAL ORDER KNOWN AS THE
an at SISTERHOOD OF NOCTIS A GUILD DEVOTED TO
THE ART OF FEAR,
I . . l AS A MERE INFANT AND TAKEN IN BY THE GUILD;
I , . RAISED TO BE A NIGHTSTALKER FROM THE VERY
j BEGINNING. THE GUILD WAS RULED BY SOMEONE
NAMED ' Miia MOONLIGHT, WHO SEEMED
TO BE MORE AKIN TO A OI. IDEN THAN TO A
H MOTHER THE WAY SHADOW DESCRIBED HER,
N, GRACEFUL AND POWERFUL, INTELLECTUAL,
CHARMING; AND IN COMPLETE CONTROL
OF THE NOT INSUBSTANTIAL TERRITORY
HELD BY HER GUILD.
SHE HAD BEEN ABANDONED ON THEIR DOORSTEP
I ASKED HER HOW SHE MANAGED TO TRAVEL BETWEEN "' l"' k
NOX AND EARTH, AND SHE POINTED TO HER PECULIAR CLASP, w
SHE THAT IT WAS ENCHANTED WITH A I ‘D
THE SPE LLS RED TO OPEN CERTAIN f
GATEWAYS ALONG THE AXIS, WHICH WAS POP- , .
ELATED BY A VAST SERIES OF DOORWAYS RUN- . ‘T
NING ITS ENTIRE LENGTH; DOORS LEADING t
TO ALL SORTS OF INTERESTING AND UNIGUE ,
PLACES, HOWEVER, NOT ALWAYS BY AN
OBVIOUS PATH. HER GUILD ONLY HAD
LIMITED ACCESS; ABLE TO OPEN ONLY 9 )
THE PATHWAYS LEADING THROUGH J, ,
THE SHADOWS UNDERNEATH BEDS. it
A STRANGELY SPECIFIC NOTION,
BUT IT HAD BEEN THAT WAY
FOR AS LONG AS ANYONE )
COULD RECALL AND NOBODY
BOTHERED TO {QUESTION IT , T,
ANYMORE. ,
SHADOWS WORLD WAS HARD TO ABSORB,
AND THAT WAS ONLY JUST DARELL
THE SLUTFACE, SO SOMETIMES WE WOULD JUST RELAX A BIT, SHADOW WOULD FLIP THROUGH MY
BOOKSHELF READING WHATEVER CAUGHT HER EYE. SHE LOVED TO READ, ESPECIALLY FICTION; SO
MUCH SO THAT I ACTUALLY ENDED UP LENDING HER A FEW TO TAKE HOME TO FINISH ON HER OWN
TIME. OTHER TIMES, I' D TURN ON THE TELEVISION AND WHAT SHE SAW WOULD OFTEN RAISE NEW
QUESTIONS THAT I TRIED MY BEST TO ANSWER, STARTING WITH ‘WHAT WAS TELEVISION?’ AND
WORKING OUTWARDS FROM THERE.
THIS WAS WHEN SHE REALLY DISCOVERED HER LOVE OF HUMAN MONOCULTURE, WHICH, AS IT
TURNED OUT SHE WAS ESPECIALLY THIRSTY FOR...