No 6: ON THE MONSTERS THAT WERE IN MY DREAMS
PHOTO BY LUCIA AUERBACH
LUCIA AUERBACH
My parents always told me I had a vivid imagination. I always knew they were right.
I think I read the book "Where the Wild Things Are" too early as a child. I think it planted a seed in my head that I could hold hands with the little monsters that crept around in the corners and crevices of my mind. I think I also read the book "Go Away, Big Green Monster" too young as well. The purple eyes are still burnt into my mind like how the orange juice stain is probably still on top of the cloth roof of my dad's old Cadillac. I used to fall asleep on beaches and see these monsters as my friends. They were bright, prolific, and inhumane. They weren't scary. They weren't the monsters that I would later meet in my dreams. I could call them my goofy friends. They wore their images on their sleeves, much like how I would then put images on my arms. I have ants, snowflakes, and Latin scripts. I never liked ants. They would ruin the hikes my mom would drag me on, and that ruined my knees. I wish they actually ruined my knees. I don't speak Latin. A year ago, I didn't know what these words meant. But I love my dad. So—I love these words that are now on my wrist.
My scariest monster was never originally in my dreams. He didn't like the snowflake on my arm. Too bad. I don't have to be tormented by his face anymore, but my dreams still like to keep him around. He wasn't purple or green. He did have some images on his arm. He had a girl tearing her face open —like I'm sure many want to do after meeting him now —and a poorly executed elephant tusk on his chest. I didn't like it when my ear was on that elephant. I wished I could've dreamt I was on an elephant, like in the photo of my mom that hung in our living room. She was around my age now. I swear, her smile was bigger than the elephant itself. I wish I could see that elephant marching around on its two feet like Babar. I wish I could close my eyes and see little monsters with non-threatening faces. I don't like the monster in my dreams anymore.
