Moments of Quiet

    I want to visit the city someday. I've heard all sorts of horrible things about them, all the crime and grot and filth that covers every corner. I think, as a monster, it would be wrong not to visit, and even indulge a little bit. The best part? The crime lord quarters. Unlike the surrounding areas, their shiny and absolutely covered with lights. I'm told that it looks deliberately overwhelming and artificial. Nothing less for the cities in the lands of evil, of course.

   I also love my hometown. It's only got about ten thousand people, most of whom are Nightmares. We have sacrifices and bonfire celebrations, but not much that's big or flashy. Life is quiet, and slow. It's been this way for as long as anyone can remember. And I love it for that.

   I love walking into the forests, or to the temple, and just sitting quietly with a book. My father and brother don't read much, my mother's too busy for books, and my sister has more friends than I do. Cassie, oddly, loves books, despite the fact that humans don't get very many good books. I've shown her some of my favorites, and she admits that they're better, but she also claims she wouldn't change the books she has access to for the world. "That's what being a human is," She says, "Being below everyone else, and having more than they do because of it."

    I don't envy humans, and I don't think Cassie really believes they have more than we do. Otherwise, she wouldn't sleep as much as she does. But between her and Natalie, I've developed more of an appreciation for them than I would otherwise have. They're powerless, but resourceful enough to get by on what they have. They also all seem to be proud of who they are, more so than I would have thought. Natalie's father talks all the time about how hard he works, her mother takes pride in her cleaning, Cassie talks about all she does to hide the fact that she has no home. I'm not sure why she doesn't try and find a place to rent, they're plentiful in the human lands. 

   When everything's quiet, I appreciate the world I live in. I'm not the strongest Nightmare around, but I don't need to be. I have my family, my friends, strange humans who worship me, and powers granted through my bloodline. If I didn't need to push for greatness, I'd be perfectly happy where I am right now.