Franklin's Adventure
Victor Frankenstein's creature, called Franklin, was on the loose in the forest. As he trudged through the lush, green woods, he saw something red and shimmery in the distance. Franklin approached the object with caution. It looked like a beautiful fruit, but when he placed it in his mouth he discovered that the sweet ruby was an edible gumdrop that melted in his mouth slowly. He continued walking over the fallen branches and around the tree stumps savoring the candy. As he walked, he noticed a trail of the sugary delights leading up to a small cabin located deep in the forest. The cabin was made of gingerbread walls studded with colorful gumdrops and a roof lined with icing. Franklin knocked on the door expecting to hear a response, but instead, the door crept open by itself. Franklin invited himself inside, only to find couches made of marshmallows and tables made of shiny candy. The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafted through the air. Franklin was famished after his trek through the woods, so before he could look for the owner of the cabin, he scooped up a handful of jellybeans from the bowl set on the table. As he dropped the beans into his mouth one by one, a beautiful lady approached him from behind.
"Well hello Sir. Where did you come from?" asked the lady sweetly, introducing herself as Candora. "I got lost in the forest today and happened to see your sweet cabin while I was looking for some familiar territory," responded Franklin, not yet revealing his face to his host.
"Oh thank you, I try my best to make it… appealing." Candora giggled and asked Franklin, "Can you please turn around so I can see your face?"
Franklin froze for a second. He had no idea if he should ignore her request and hide his face from her. He debated with himself for a minute, and decided that since he was in her house, he would oblige her.
Franklin turned slowly, hesitantly, until his eyes met Candora's. He expected a response to his repulsiveness vastly different from the one she displayed. Since Franklin did not look like a normal man, Candora decided he must be like her. So she quickly stepped back and a swirl of pink, purple, and blue lights enveloped her, transforming her from the beautiful lady she portrayed into the ugly witch she really was. Her haggard face, old and covered with warts, appeared as the lights vanished from around her. She wore a dark brown cloak to cover her hunchback and had crooked feet and hands. Franklin blinked his eyes twice as fast as he normally did, trying to understand if the transformation was a figment of his imagination. After hearing Candora's voice change from a sweet melody to a raspy cackle, he knew he was not dreaming.
"What is wrong, my dear?" Questioned Candora, unsure why the creature looked so shocked. "Oh, nothing. I am just shocked by your beauty," answered Franklin, lying through his teeth. He knew he had to stay on her good side and hide his growing fear. "Too kind, too kind," Candora chuckled. "Now I must go into the Mushroom forest to collect some things. I will be back before you know it. Make yourself feel at home."
"Thank you, take your time," Franklin yelled out as Candora ran out of the cabin.
Franklin decided to run out of the cabin, terrified that the met someone who could actually make him afraid. But as he turned the knob on the front door to leave before the witch trapped him, he heard voices coming from the kitchen. "No! Please help us! Don't leave without us! We have been here for two weeks now, we must get back to our father."
The creature knew in his heart that he was benevolent, and this was his chance to show his goodness to someone else. He followed the young voices and entered the kitchen. Upon entering, he saw an enormous, black pot on the stove. The boiling water inside was bubbling violently. He approached the stove and saw a recipe lying on the countertop next to the pot. "Five cups of water, three eggs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of salt, a pinch of vanilla extract," whispered Franklin as he read the recipe to himself off of the beige, crinkled paper. "This all seems normal, what are these kids yelling about?"
"Look at the back of the paper!" A child yelled, allowing Franklin to know the children were locked inside of the pantry. Before reading the back of the paper, Franklin unlocked the pantry to find two children, a boy and a girl, tied to chairs made of fudge with taffy rope. He quickly set them free and read, "Secret ingredients: Hansel and Gretel."
Just then, Franklin heard the front door slam shut and knew that Candora has returned home, so he picked up the two children, who had yet to see his face, and broke through the back door made of gingerbread, running as fast as he could through the trees. "What is going on in here?" Yelled Candora as she threw her basket of eggs across the empty kitchen. She jumped through the huge hole in her backdoor to see if she could snatch the children away from the creature who she thought she could trust. However, they were nowhere to be seen and the witch was too hungry and tired to hunt for them. Disappointed and angry, she sat on a tree stump in behind her cabin, and imagined how much she was going to enjoy her children-soup.
"No, this way!" A little girl's voice yelled out from behind some trees. The witch looked up from her daydream to see if it was Gretel trying to point out the way home, but instead, it was a plump girl with her friend. They were playing in the woods and trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, their trip was halted when they were drawn into the Candora's candy cabin. "You children look so hungry! Come inside, I have many different treats." Candora used her sweetest voice as she lured the children into her house, already thinking of how to turn the thinner girl into an appetizer.
On the other side of the forest, Franklin stopped running when he realized Candora was no longer chasing him. The sun was beginning to set and a light breeze replaced the hot sunlight. He stopped next to a stream so he and the children could drink some water after the exhilarating yet petrifying event. As soon as the creature put the children down, he bent over the water to take a sip from the stream and saw his hideous reflection. Dejected, he turned and found a large gray rock to sit on. He was bracing himself for the frightened reaction he expected from the children as they saw his face for the first time, but instead, they ran up to him a hugged him.
They did not let go until the creature spoke. Franklin was confused and asked them, "You aren't scared of me? I am so ugly. Everyone yells when they see me, even from a mile away." The creature looked down, ashamed that people's reaction to him had to be described in such a horrible way. "You saved us, Sir. We judge people by their actions, not by what they look like." Hansel replied with a smile and his eyes green shone with thanks. The children told him what happened to them in the witch's cabin. "The witch was force-feeding us for two weeks, trying to get us plump enough to eat," said Hansel. "Yes, we would have been her dinner by now if you had not saved us," Gretel chimed in.
The creature told them that he was glad he saved them and wanted to take them home to their father as soon as possible. The children led the way back to their home and found their father chopping wood outside. He was so relieved to see his dear Hansel and Gretel, and he thanked Franklin for bringing his children home.
Soon, the news spread throughout the forest of Franklin's good dead, bringing him new friends who appreciated him for who he was, not what he looked like. Franklin felt happy and belonged somewhere. He was finally home.