I do not own Frankenstein or any other famous novels.

"Awake, fairest, thy lover is near - he who would give his life but to obtain one look of affection from thine eyes: my beloved, awake!" (Frankenstein's Creature from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein)

Darkness was the first thing I ever knew. Impenetrable darkness which hid secrets from my searching mind and left me feeling alone and vulnerable.

I opened my eyes groggily only to shut them immediately as I was hit by dazzling colors. I let out a tired groan and rolled onto my stomach as I attempted to discern the odd new sensations. My ears reverberated with an odd noise that constantly fluctuated in pitch and was broken by indistinct pauses. I wondered what the strange lights and noises meant, but my mind was too clouded and unsophisticated to comprehend these new sensations and their sources.

My second groan caused the sound to abruptly stop. There was a shuffle then I felt something wrap itself around my body and lift me off the surface I rested upon. I whined in protest and struggled against the unseen entity that bound me, but it only tightened its hold on me. My feeble body eventually grew too exhausted to handle the physical exertion and I allowed myself to slip into unconsciousness.

When I awoke again, I was propped up against a rough surface that dug into my back. I shifted uncomfortably, but that only made the surface scratch my back even more. My discomfort began to irritate me and I had the sudden urge to open my eyes. My eyelids cautiously slid open and I was surprised when I was met with a thick darkness instead of the harsh lights that had blinded me earlier. I was relieved that the lights were gone but a sudden realization sent a cold chill down my spine.

I couldn't see. I didn't know if this darkness sheltered me or preyed on me. The way the darkness blanketed me should have lulled me into a sense of safety. Instead, my mind imagined the darkness morphing into ebony monsters that silently stalked towards me. They would strike at any moment.

I was about to cry out in fear when my eyes finally discerned faint shapes not entirely hidden by the darkness. The shapes shared the same appearance: thick brown columns that splintered into smaller arms that reached towards the sky. I looked up and saw that the thinner brown arms formed a roof of green that rustled in the wind.

What strange and wonderful creatures, I thought in awe. What could they be?

I silently studied the canopy when there was a sharp crack! beside me. I whirled around and leapt, or stumbled really, in fright at what I saw before me.

A large, intimidating figure loomed over me. Pale skin was tautly stretched across the surface of a muscular body. A network of crimson veins bulged from beneath the skin and crawled up the creature's disproportional limbs. A curtain of black hair fell from the top of the creature's head to a pair of broad shoulders. Despite the hair, along with the canopy, casting a shadow over the creature's face, a pair of yellow bloodshot eyes gleamed faintly as they looked me over. The creature's dark lips were cracked open to reveal two rows of large white teeth. The frightening appearance of those teeth made me shudder.

The creature's lips suddenly broadened into a leering grin and a large hand reached out for me. I frantically backed away from the encroaching hand and hid behind the thick brown structure I had been leaning against.

After several minutes of silence, I decided to check if the creature had left. I peeked around my hiding spot and shrieked when I saw the creature's face an inch away from mine. The creature lunged forward and seized my arm before I could escape. I screwed my eyes shut and struggled violently against its grip only to freeze when I heard the creature murmuring gently to me. I glanced at the creature in astonishment to find that it was gazing calmly, almost lovingly, back at me.

The creature's free hand reached behind its back while its right one maintained a firm hold on my arm. I tilted my head when the creature's hand returned with its fingers wrapped around a hidden object. The creature reached out the closed hand until it rested before my eyes. The hand flipped over so the palm faced skyward and opened to show me what was held inside.

A few scarlet spheres with fragrant scents rested in the palm of its hand. I eyed the tiny spheres then looked back at the creature with a mystified expression. With a sigh, the creature released my arm and pried my mouth open. One of the shiny red objects was dropped between my teeth before the creature shut my mouth with a finger beneath my chin.

For a few moments, I rolled the mysterious object around my mouth before I sunk my teeth into it. The sphere popped open, releasing a juice that filled my mouth with a pleasant sensation that made the sides of my mouth tingle as it slid down my throat. It was wonderful. I immediately swallowed the crushed remains of the object before snatching the remaining ones out of the creature's hand and greedily devouring them.

After swallowing the last of the ruby delicacies, I turned my hungry eyes back to the creature and silently begged for more. The creature pulled out another one of the delicious orbs and held it in front of me. When I reached forward to take it, the creature lifted it out of my reach and opened its mouth. I panicked, thinking the creature was going to eat it, but was taken aback when all it did was make a strange utterance then look at me expectantly.

I stared at the creature, once again mystified. Why wouldn't the creature give it to me? What did it want? I considered the creature's strange utterance and realized that it sounded similar to the noises I had heard when I first woke up.

Did those sounds mean something? Was the creature trying to tell me something? If so, I had no idea what it was.

We sat in silence for a long time and I quickly lost interest, turning away to study the mysterious creatures hidden in the darkness. The creature sighed again, catching my attention, and repeated the sound while waving the tiny red sphere in front of me.

I glanced at the creature curiously. It was obviously trying to tell me something and knew that I wasn't understanding. Maybe it wanted me to do something. I decided to repeat the noise and see what would happen.

"Berry," I mumbled, hearing how different it sounded from the way the creature said it. The creature nodded encouragingly and held the sphere closer to me, still frustratingly out of reach, and uttered the sound again.

I looked eagerly at the shiny red orb. Whatever I did must have been right and I repeated the noise much louder than before. The creature's dark lips pulled back to expose its teeth again and it placed the sphere in my hand.

"Berry," the creature said softly, nodding in agreement. I nodded my head, mimicking the creature's movements.

The sound must mean this, I thought as I studied the red orb one last time before eating it. A warm feeling spread throughout my body as the berry slid down my throat. The edges of my lips pulled back on their own accord until my face displayed the same expression the creature was giving me.

And this is what your lips do when you feel this way.

The creature pulled out another strange object and turned it towards me. Something flickered across the object's surface and I flinched away in shock. The creature chuckled and scooted closer to give me a better look.

The object was a shiny surface with a golden frame. When I leaned over to get a closer look, two images suddenly appeared on the surface and stared back at me. The first image looked exactly like the creature. I glanced between the image and the creature to make sure I wasn't imagining things. The second image was of a strikingly similar creature except that it had long brown hair and a rounder face.

I frowned. Who were these beings? Why were they trapped in the object?

I looked at the creature questioningly and it laughed before pointing at the images then back at us. The creature had to repeat the gesture a few times before the meaning finally clicked. The object must show what things look like. The other image was what I looked like then.

I examined the images again. I looked much like the creature that sat beside me. Did this mean we were the same? That I am supposed to be with him? He was one of the first creatures I saw after waking up and he did give me those berries. Maybe he was supposed to take care of me. Maybe he was here to help me.

The creature uttered another noise and waited for me to repeat it. I happily repeated the word, my mind made up about my fellow creature.

"Friend."

My new friend and I spent a few more days in what he called a 'forest.' During this time, he taught me many new words and fed me many tasty delicacies before finally deciding to take me elsewhere. He told me that he found a nice place for us to live and wished to bring me there. The thought of seeing what other delights my friend would bring me excited me and I eagerly agreed.

We eventually stopped at the edge of the forest. A river cut through the open land and allowed small bright flowers to bloom in the full sunlight. A few animals roamed the land and built small dens at the river's edge. I knew they lived in there because I liked to peer inside the holes to see what was hiding inside.

As soon as we arrived by the river, my friend built a camp using the materials he either collected from the forest or kept in the bag he always carried on his back. By dusk, the camp consisted of a small fire pit, a large shelter constructed with branches and leaves, and a medium sized chest that my friend had found on the way here.

During the first night, my friend had pulled out an old book from his bag and read it to me. He had to constantly pause in his reading and describe the meaning of words I wasn't familiar with, but I still enjoyed the story. Since then, reading to me became a part of his nightly routine.

My friend usually read stories about hidden worlds and fantastic creatures that ranged from mice to giants. These stories always excited me the most because they allowed my imagination to run wild with images of beautiful utopias filled with more wonders than the eye can see. After listening to one of these stories, I would dream of traveling beyond the forest to distant lands where mushrooms were as large as trees and flowers glittered like stars in the night. Images from these vivid dreams would linger in my mind all day long and leave me yearning for the moment the sun dropped below the horizon. The stories had become my life.

After some time, it became quite obvious that my friend's favorite story was Paradise Lost. He would read it to me almost every night and I began to notice how the story was similar to the two of us and our riverside paradise. He would even call me his 'little Eve' sometimes.

My friend always told me that he liked to read books to me every night because he knew that I liked them, but I knew that he secretly enjoyed the attention I gave him when he read. Unfortunately, his delight meant that he wouldn't teach me how to read. This didn't bother me all that much but this wasn't the only restriction he imposed.

One night, I had dug through his bag and pulled out some books he had never read to me before. I asked him to read them to me, but he said that I wouldn't understand them and promptly put the books away. Any further attempts at persuasion were either ignored or silenced with a curt no.

I was also growing increasingly frustrated with being confined to the same area and having to spend every second in the creature's presence. Due to his overprotective behavior, I was not allowed to leave the camp without him and he would watch me like a hawk every time we went into the forest to forage for food. I wouldn't have minded going into the forest with him if we didn't always walk through the same part of the forest when there were obviously other places we could go. We even got into a heated argument about this when I asked if we could see the rest of the forest. He was immediately against the idea and argued that the world was too dangerous for someone as inexperienced as me, even though I was quite capable of defending myself.

I couldn't see why he was so obstinate when it came to the subject of exploring. My favorite stories always surrounded a person who discovered mysterious places and fabulous creatures. These stories had taught me that the world's secrets were meant to be uncovered by those who wished to find them. It was my destiny to explore the unexplored and to know the unknown no matter how dangerous the enterprise.

If there were lands awaiting my arrival, the creature could not stand in my way. I refused to be confined to a boring camp with only a few books connecting me to the outside world.

This belief was the very reason why I found myself standing over his sleeping form one night.

After another failed attempt to get him to let me explore, I had hatched a brilliant plan to sneak out in the middle of the night and wander around for a little bit. My friend was a heavy sleeper and usually woke up after I did. If I was careful not to wake him and returned before sunrise, he would never notice that I was gone. Therefore, I would get to see what world awaited me and he wouldn't have to worry about my safety. Both of us would get what we wanted and be happy. This thought thrilled me and I hastily prepared for my night out as soon as the idea came to mind.

I spent the next few days planning and preparing for my trip. I originally wanted to go to the forest but figured that crossing the river would be a better idea. The water would clear away my tracks and help me find my way back in case I got lost. I also hid bits of food in a nearby tree so I could later retrieve them and eat them as a snack while I was away from camp. I also made sure to leave a few of our foraging bags out so it would be harder for my friend to notice if one went missing. Once everything was in place, all I had to do was wait.

I watched my friend snore away for a few minutes. Once I was sure he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, I grabbed one of our empty bags and filled it with some food. I tiptoed out of the camp and silently swam across the river, making sure the bag didn't get wet. Once I had crawled my way onto the sandy bank, I took one quick glance back at the camp then charged into the meadow.

Once the camp had disappeared from sight, I let out a chuckle which quickly escalated into boisterous laughter. I had never felt so free in my life! The elation I felt was nearly overwhelming.

My laughter finally ended with tired coughing that forced me to slow to a stop. While I caught my breath, I let my eyes take in the thick foliage carpeting the land. My eyes fell upon a small red flower and I reached down to pick it. I held it up to the sky and admired the way the petals shined in the moonlight. I twirled the flower between my fingers then flopped to the ground, gasping when I sunk into the lush grass as if it was a pile of cotton.

Many times I had peered across the river at the meadow. It was wonderful to admire its beauty from a distance, but to actually be in it was a much more enchanting experience. Here, I could sense the life surrounding me; I could smell the sweet aroma of flowers, feel the soft grass beneath me, and hear the quiet chirp of crickets as they hopped by. At that very moment, I knew this would be the first of many nights I spent in the meadow. My new paradise was made even better by the fact that I wouldn't have to deal with his overbearing presence.

I sat up abruptly and looked around in alarm. If the creature wasn't here, who would protect me if something happened? I knew how to fend for myself, but I wasn't used to being alone. That wasn't the worst of it though. What if he woke up and noticed that I was missing?

Dread filled every aspect of my being and I immediately threw the flower in the bag and sprinted back to camp. Fortunately, he was still asleep when I got back and I quietly slid back under the covers next to him after hiding the flower behind a tree. That night I dreamed of endless meadows and forests of flowers.

After that first night, I continued to sneak out to the meadow. I would run further and stay out longer as the nights progressed, slowly traveling further away from my companion and closer to what I knew awaited me. His growing push to control me only motivated me to keep running until I eventually stumbled across the most unusual of sights one night.

I found myself on the outskirts of a giant camp filled with strange creatures. Large wooden tents-I guessed-littered the area. Strange beings milled around in the spaces between the wooden tents. They looked much like me and my companion, only smaller and prettier. They also wore colorful pieces of cloth on their bodies. This oddity excited me so I pilfered some of the clothes they hung on strings outside their tents while they weren't looking. I quickly retreated to a bush so I could study my loot.

I frowned at the clothes. I couldn't see why the beings wore these pitiful pieces of cloth. They were too thin to be used as a blanket and too small to be used as a bag. I eventually decided that the best way to find out would be to try them on. They looked nice at first glance but they were uncomfortably tight around my torso.

How odd...

I studied the clothing with a pensive frown then stuffed them into my bag and headed home.

After a few more visits to the giant camp, I had returned to my companion and asked him if there were other beings like ourselves. He told me that there were other beings but they were very dangerous and that I should stay away from them at all costs.

The next night, I found myself standing outside of one of the massive wooden structures the creatures always went into by midnight. A few nights ago, I had realized that they could talk just like me. I wanted to talk to them before but I lacked the courage to approach them up until now. Tonight, however, I would attempt to communicate with them. Maybe they would tell me stories if I asked nicely.

I tried to enter one of their houses, as I believed my companion's story called them, but couldn't figure out how to get in. I tugged on a knob on the side of the house the creatures always entered from but nothing happened. I eventually grew frustrated and punched the wall with an angry roar. That got their attention.

The part of the wall with the knob immediately swung open to reveal one of the creatures. I opened my mouth to greet him, but the creature immediately gasped at the sight of me and swung his wooden stick at me. The sound of his terrified cries attracted the other creatures residing in the house and they rushed over to find the cause of the commotion. They screamed when they saw me and threw rocks until I ran away from the house in tears.

That was the last time I visited the camp.

The traumatic experience had bruised my self-confidence and I stayed in the camp with my companion for the next few days. I was afraid of coming across another one of the creatures who had attacked me, but I couldn't resist the call of the meadow and I soon found myself crossing the river again.

I made sure to be extra careful this time around, always keeping an eye out for the aggressive creatures. I didn't understand why they had reacted so violently. What had I done wrong? Did I somehow offend them? Were they mad that I entered their camp without permission? I had no guesses and wasn't willing to go back to their camp to find out.

It was because of my care and vigilance that I spotted a tower of smoke in the distance one night. I was worried that it belonged to one of the aggressive creatures, but my curiosity was too powerful to allow me to ignore this oddity. I checked the sky to make sure I had enough night left before embarking for the source of the smoke.

When I finally reached the source of the smoke, I found a camp that was smaller than the one my companion had built but only contained one occupant who was currently huddled next to a small fire. It looked like one of the creatures that had chased me out of the camp. I gasped in astonishment and ducked behind a rock when the creature's head turned in my direction. It was too late because it had already spotted me. I waited for the creature to attack me like the others did, but no rocks came.

When I looked up, I saw that the creature was staring at me with a barely hidden look of disgust but he hadn't moved from where it sat. The creature studied me a moment longer then beckoned me to come closer. This action surprised me, but I saw this as a the perfect opportunity to converse with one of the strange creatures and eagerly accepted.

When I cautiously sat next to the creature, it held out its hand to me and gazed at me expectantly. I blinked at the empty hand, completely perplexed. His hand was empty. He must have wanted something so I placed one of the berries I carried in my bag into his hand. The creature gaped at me with a baffled expression before sighing and replacing his hand.

"Hello," it said in a voice that reminded me of my companion's voice, only lighter. "I'm Ernest Frankenstein. What's your name?"

"I don't have one," I said after a moment of silence. The only names I knew were the ones in the stories my companion read to me and a few nicknames, but none of them belonged to me.

"Very well," the creature sighed. "I'll call you Pandora then." I liked that name. I nodded happily and let the creature continue.

"I've been traveling all by myself for quite some time now and I would love to have some company, even if only for a few minutes."

I nodded in agreement and, not knowing how to have a good conversation, said the first thing that came to mind. "Do you know how to read? I want to learn to read." I was surprised that this was my first request, though reading was one of the things I wished to learn to do.

Ernest's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You want me to teach you how to read?" I nodded and he scratched his head. "Well, I've never taught anyone to read but if you insist..." He pulled out a book and started reading it to me without another word.

They had managed to get halfway through the book when the sun began to rise. I realized that I had stayed out too long and bid Ernest goodbye before sprinting back to my companion's camp. Thankfully, I arrived right before he woke up.

I continued to visit Ernest every night. As time went by, I slowly found myself growing closer to him as he taught me more about reading and the world. At the same time, I slowly grew more distant from my companion. My nightly visits often drained me of the energy and patience I needed to handle his growing demands for my care and affection and I quickly became moody at the slightest offence. There were a few times I had even snapped at him when he tried to kiss me. Now we only really talked to each other when he read me stories.

This change made me feel a little guilty, but I felt that it was a fair price to pay for the knowledge Ernest provided me.

My new friend and I would spend tons of time talking about the things we have learned and I enjoyed this exchange very much. However, my favorite activity was when he would read me stories then have me read it to him. My companion had also read stories to me, but none of them were as interesting as the ones Ernest taught me to read. My favorite story was the one about Prometheus and the creation of men. That was until we got to the part about Pandora.

According to the story, the gods had created Pandora to punish Prometheus for stealing fire and giving it to mankind. The gods had given Pandora an urn and told her not to open it, but she had opened it out of curiosity and unleashed evils upon the human race. The gods knew that this would happen, however, since they had made Pandora to be curious. The gods had also given her many other gifts that were meant to deceive mankind into thinking that Pandora was a harmless beauty.

I found it horrible that a being could be created to be so beautiful for such an ugly purpose. Cruel that the gods would trick Pandora into committing these crimes. Disgusting that the gods didn't even consider how Pandora would feel after opening the urn. No one should ever be used like this. I regretted letting Ernest call me Pandora a little.

I didn't enjoy the stories that involved people using others for their own purposes. Despite this, I still found myself absorbed in the stories I read. They always allowed me to learn about people and places I never would have been able to discover on my own. All because of the subjugator I called my companion.

After nearly a month of visiting Ernest, I decided to try something that I knew my companion would not like. Once he was safely in bed and fast asleep, I slipped out of bed and took out some of the books he would never read to me. I had wanted to bring them to Ernest so he could help me read them, but I was afraid that I would drop them in the river and soil the pages so I was forced to read them in the camp. I worried that my companion might wake up and catch me breaking one of his rules, but he was always tired at the end of the day and tended to sleep deeply so I really had no reason to fret.

The first book I cracked open was old and worn. The yellow pages were covered in faded letters and were nearly illegible in some spots. I had to move closer to the fire and read more slowly so I could decipher the writing. The book was filled with strange symbols and drawings that I wasn't familiar with so I would occasionally reread some parts. I was halfway through reading the book a second time when the meaning began to dawn on me.

The horrors contained within this book appalled me. It was impossible. No one would do something this cruel. Then I remembered the story about Pandora and how the gods had used her as their tool. Confusion filled my mind and made my head hurt. I put the book down and rubbed my temples until the pain faded away.

What did all of this mean? Was this truly the cause of both of our being? Was I just another Pandora made to satisfy his desires and wish for revenge? I couldn't ask him these questions. He would just get mad at me for disobeying him and questioning his motives. That only left one person.

I called Ernest's name as I approached his camp. During my third visit, I had asked Ernest why he chose to live alone and not in the village I had stumbled across before meeting him. He told me that he was a ghost to everyone, including his own family. He was rarely acknowledged and never loved. I didn't understand what he meant by that, but I was happy that I would be able to keep visiting him.

Ernest crawled out of the pile of blankets he used as his bed and waved to me with a warm smile. I sat by the fire and waited a little impatiently for Ernest to slowly lumber up to me.

"Hello, my dear friend Pandora. I thought you weren't coming tonight," he said as he plopped himself down next to me.

I showed him the worn book. "I was going to spend the night reading this book on my own, but there were a few things I didn't understand. I was hoping you could explain them to me." I handed him the book and watched as he flipped through the pages.

Ernest's pensive smile slowly slid into a grim frown with each turn of the page. I began to worry that I had done something to upset him. I should have known that the book would disturb him too. I was readying an apology when Ernest suddenly looked up at me with a sad smile.

"I guess there is much I need to explain to you. You see, the person who wrote this journal is my brother." I gasped in surprise and promptly urged Ernest to elaborate.

"You see, my brother always got my parents' attention, leaving me to be the outcast of the family. I was always jealous of all the attention he received and wished to get revenge so when I discovered that he was creating new life while he was supposedly studying, I knew what I had to do and left home under the pretense of joining the military. I really left so I could spy on Victor and find a way to reveal his crimes to the world.

"However, after meeting you and hearing of your troubles, I have decided to help you too. You see, we both suffer in the shadows of others so I feel empathetic. If you wish to know why you were created, I can provide you with that information."

I let his words sink in. It was difficult to take in everything all at once, but I knew that I needed to know more. I nodded in determination and listened carefully as my friend, teacher, and ally began to tell me who I really was and what I must do. I opened the journal once more and peeked inside.

That evil monster! The moment I had opened that journal, all of his dark secrets were revealed to me. At first, I had thought that he was a gentle, loving, yet slightly annoying friend. I believed that he also saw me as a friend and truly cared for me. Now I have realized that I was just a creation meant to please him and punish the man who created him. Another Pandora.

I finally understood the fiend's actions, why he would always watch me, never let me read, and tell me not to wander alone. He wanted to keep his secrets hidden from me so I could never leave him. It was all so he could have his happiness while I was stuck wishing for things he would never let me have.

I silently glowered at his sleeping form curled up in the bed. He was completely unaware of the boiling rage I felt towards him. As the sun began to rise and the fiend began to stir, I masked my anger behind an innocent smile and glanced down at the journal I held in my hand. I will pretend to be the companion he wishes me to be for now, but Pandora's box has been opened and he will suffer the consequences.