Ashley Lam, Period 2, 4/24/23

Ashley Lam

Period 2

Modern Mythology 2023

Creativity & Fiction

Craft a piece of FAN fiction related to any of the reading we’ve done in class that addresses one or more of the following: 

• Literary elements (i.e. structure, tone, diction, mood, irony, and figurative language) to craft a narrative.
• Structural features of drama (stage directions, character attributions/tags, dialogue, monologues, and/or soliloquies) to craft a script.
• Multidimensional characters to develop themes and create socio-political metaphors.

There once was a creature named Grendel. He stayed mostly to himself and had little to no friends. He didn’t have much going for him, as he was just living one day at a time. Most of his days were spent daydreaming about finding his people. He fantasized about his life, mainly because he wasn’t happy in the reality of it. He always tried to put himself out there, but things  never seemed to work out. His whole life, he only experiences toxic relationships, as that was the only thing he knew. His fear of being alone forced him to stay until they left. He felt as if he was stranded in the desert all the time: weak and lifeless. His relationships reminded him of a painful prick from a cactus: everytime he would try to get close to the ones he allegedly “loved” he w0uld get stung. However it felt as if he were addicted to the pain. 

Grendel spent his days in his cave, hiding in the dark because he feared he didn’t know the light. Even though he didn’t want to admit it to himself, he felt envious of other people and their genuine connections. He always believed that the universe cursed him, feeling resentful towards humans. He convinced himself that he didn’t enjoy joyful things, but in reality he just wished he could experience it for himself. He experienced a plethora of self hatred, always blaming himself for other people’s actions. “I was put on this earth to suffer. Why am I not worthy enough?”, he would often repeat to himself. He observed the world in the comfort of his own home, terrified to put himself out there again due to his past. However, one day his world seemingly changed.

Grendel only left his home to pick up necessities, such as groceries. However, one day he decided to take a walk outside, because he was tired  of sitting in his own misery constantly. As he was going on a stroll in his neighborhood, a runner accidentally bumps into him. As he collects himself, he starts to walk away from the situation, having more hatred towards society, when suddenly the runner starts initiating conversation. “My apologies sir, although I’m not complaining. You look like a dream.”, the runner said. Grendal began to feel something he hadn’t felt in a while: excited. “My name is Lestat, and you are?” His cheeks flushed red as he responded. Pale skinned, tall, and handsome Lestat. The angel sent from the heavens to save me from my misery, he thought. They exchanged numbers and had a genuine conversation, or so he thought. When he got home that day he felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel. He felt an exuberant amount of joy, and he held onto that feeling for what seemed like forever. Lestat had been chatting with him online, constantly asking when he would see his beautiful face again. Lestat would always be bold and lustful when texting Grendal, something he had rarely experienced. It made him feel excited for the future. They decided to meet up at a beautiful restaurant, which Lestat agreed to pay for.

On the day of the date, he romanticized his whole future with him, even though he barely knew anything about him. However, when dinner rolled around, it wasn’t what he imagined. At first, he believed that the questions Lestat asked him were simply just to get to know him. However, as the date continued, he quickly realized something didn’t feel genuine. “You should take me to your place.” “How much money do you make?” “Could you get me this new suit? You would do it if you really loved me, right?” Grendal felt a sense  of unease. The night came to an end, and he leaned in for a kiss goodnight, to which Lestat completely ignored. When Grendal went home, he decided to text Lestat about his worries, as he was sure he was just overthinking. However, deep down he knew this wasn’t right. He asked Lestat when would be the next time he would see him. He barely got answers out of him, and he was feeling a sense of anxiety. Lestat then told him, “to be honest, you aren’t what I thought you would be. This needs to end.” Grendel was heartbroken. How could something so lovely end so fast? He pleaded and begged him to give him an answer. Lestat was enjoying himself, seemingly joyful at Grendel’s misery. “ Do you seriously think that anyone could be genuinely interested in you? Look at you. You remind me of a monster. I was only interested because I thought you could benefit me financially.” Grendel couldn’t stop the tears from running down his face. He frantically tried to save their relationship, but Lestat wasn’t interested. “No one will ever love you man.” Those were Lestat’s last words to Grendel. Suddenly, what felt like an angel sent from God was quickly revealed to be the devil. It wasn’t the “dreamy feeling” Lestat described him as. Instead, it was a nightmare. 

“He’s right. Look at me. I am not worthy of anyone’s love.”, thought Grendal.