The monster began to tell his story. It is very difficult for the monster to remember the start of his life. Everything was very confusing. The monster saw, felt, and smelled many things at the same time. It took a long time to understand his different senses.
At first, the light was too bright for his eyes. The monster had to close his eyes. Then the darkness was scary. The monster opened his eyes and the light came back. The monster walked and went down a hill.
The light and heat made the monster tired. The monster wanted to find a place with shade. The monster found a forest near the city of Ingolstadt. The monster lay down near a brook (a very small river). The monster felt very hungry and thirsty.
The monster found some berries on the trees and on the ground. The monster ate the berries. The monster drank water from the brook. Then the monster fell asleep.
It was dark when the monster woke up. The monster felt cold and afraid. The monster was alone. Before the monster left Victor Frankenstein’s room, he took some clothes. But the clothes were not warm enough.
The monster was very unhappy. The monster did not understand anything. He felt pain in his body. The monster sat down and cried.
Soon, a soft light appeared in the sky. It made the monster feel better. A bright moon rose above the trees. The monster looked at the moon with wonder. The monster went to look for more berries.
The monster found a large cloak under a tree. The monster covered himself with the cloak and sat down. The monster did not have many thoughts. He only felt hungry, thirsty, and cold. The monster looked at the bright moon and felt happy.
Many days and nights passed. The monster began to understand his feelings. The monster saw the clear water and the green trees. The monster heard the birds singing. The monster liked the sound of the birds.
The monster tried to sing like the birds. But the monster made a loud, strange sound. The sound scared the monster. The monster became quiet again.
The monster stayed in the forest for a long time. His eyes became used to the light. The monster saw the difference between various plants. The monster learned that some birds had sweet songs and others had harsh voices.
One day, it was very cold. The monster found a fire. Some people left the fire in the woods. The monster was very happy because the fire was warm. The monster put his hand into the fire.
The monster cried because the fire burned his hand. It was very strange. The fire felt good, but it also hurt. The monster looked at the fire. The monster saw that the fire was made of wood.
The monster collected some branches. The branches were wet and they did not burn. The monster watched the fire. The monster saw that the wet wood became dry near the heat. Then the wood burned.
The monster collected a lot of wood to keep the fire alive. At night, the monster was afraid the fire would stop. The monster covered the fire with dry leaves and wood. Then the monster went to sleep.
In the morning, the monster looked at the fire. The wind made the fire grow. The monster made a fan from branches to help the fire. The monster saw that the fire gave light and heat.
The monster found some food near the fire. Some people left a little meat. The meat was cooked by the fire. It tasted better than the berries. The monster tried to cook his own food.
The monster put berries, nuts, and roots on the fire. The fire ruined the berries. However, the nuts and roots tasted much better. But soon, there was no more food in the forest.
The monster spent the whole day looking for food. The monster decided to leave the forest. The monster was sad to leave his fire. He did not know how to make a new fire.
The monster walked toward the sun. He walked for three days. Finally, the monster reached the open country. There was a lot of snow on the ground. The monster’s feet were very cold.
It was seven o'clock in the morning. The monster wanted food and a home. The monster saw a small hut on a hill. The monster was curious about the building. The monster opened the door and went inside.
An old man sat near a fire. The old man was making breakfast. The old man saw the monster and screamed loudly. The old man ran away very fast. The monster was surprised.
The monster liked the hut. It was dry and warm. The snow and rain could not come inside. The monster ate the man's breakfast. He ate bread and cheese and drank milk.
The monster did not like the wine. The monster was very tired. The monster lay down in some straw and fell asleep. At noon, the monster woke up. The sun was bright.
The monster took the rest of the food and put it in a bag. The monster walked for several hours. At sunset, the monster arrived at a village. The monster thought the houses were beautiful.
The monster saw vegetables in the gardens. The monster saw milk and cheese at the windows. The monster was very hungry. The monster entered one of the houses.
The children screamed and a woman fainted. The people in the village were very angry. Some people ran away and some people attacked the monster. People threw stones at the monster.
The monster was hurt and afraid. The monster ran away from the village. The monster found a small hovel (a small, dirty building for animals). The hovel was very simple. It was next to a nice cottage.
The monster was afraid to enter the cottage. The hovel was made of wood. It was very low and the monster could not stand up. The floor was dry and the monster felt safe.
The monster stayed in the hovel. He was happy to find a home. He was safe from the snow and the mean people. The next morning, the monster looked at the cottage.
The monster saw a pig sty and a pool of water. The monster used stones and wood to hide his hovel. No one could see the monster now. The monster put clean straw on the floor.
The monster saw a man in the distance. The monster did not trust people. He stayed in his home. The monster had a loaf of bread and a cup for water. The hovel was warm because it was near the cottage chimney.
The monster decided to live in the hovel. It was much better than the cold forest. The monster ate his breakfast. Then the monster heard a sound.
The monster looked through a small hole in the wall. The monster saw a young girl with a bucket. She was pretty but she looked sad. She wore simple clothes and her hair was in a braid.
The girl returned with a bucket of milk. A young man met her. The young man looked very sad. The young man took the heavy bucket from the girl. They went inside the cottage.
The monster found a small crack in the wall of the cottage. The monster could see inside a room. The room was small and clean. An old man sat in the corner near a fire.
The old man looked very sad. The young girl cleaned the house. Then she sat down near the old man. The old man took a musical instrument (an object used to make music).
The old man began to play music. The sound was more beautiful than the birds. The monster had never seen anything beautiful before. The monster liked the old man’s kind face.
The music was sweet but sad. The young girl began to cry. The old man was very kind to her. He smiled and held her hand. The monster felt a strange feeling in his heart.
The monster felt both pain and pleasure. The monster did not understand these new emotions. The monster stopped looking through the hole. Later, the young man returned with a lot of wood.
The girl helped the young man. They showed each other a loaf of bread and some cheese. The girl went to the garden to get plants for dinner. The young man worked in the garden with a tool.
The young man and the girl went into the cottage to eat. The old man became more cheerful when they arrived. After dinner, the girl cleaned the house again. The old man walked outside for a few minutes.
The young man helped the old man walk. The old man was very kind and the young man was very handsome. But the young man always looked very sad. Then the young man went back to work in the fields.
At night, the cottagers used tapers (thin candles) to make light. The monster was happy. He could watch the people even when the sun was gone. The old man played his music again.
Then the young man made some sounds. The sounds were not like music or birds. The monster did not know it, but the young man was reading a book. The monster did not know about words or letters yet.
Later, the family blew out the candles. They went to sleep. The monster also rested in his hovel.