Okay, this is a little late for Godzilla's birthday, but I hope you enjoy it anywise.
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On November 3rd, 54 years ago today, The King of the Monsters was born. Here is my tribute to him
54
How had the reporter, Steve Martin, once put it – "This is Tokyo, a city like no other,"?
That it was, the largest city in the world at the time. I think it still is. I, just a single tourist in a city of millions, was minding my own business. I was just enjoying the sites and trying to get past the language barrier. How was I supposed to know that I would witness the event that would change the world – The day that we all learned that monsters do exist.
Long before I ever saw the beast, I heard it roar. The entire city seemed to shake at it. No, not just the city, the earth and the sky shook. I literally had to hold my hands to my ears it was so loud. Windows all around me shattered. I was certain that if I had been any closer, my ears would have been bleeding.
Now, it should be obvious what I did next, but I think that I'll tell you anyways. I ran. I ran as fast as I could, but that didn't do any good. The beast's gargantuan stride allowed him walk incredibly slowly and still outrun us. The ground shook so much with his every step that I nearly lost my footing. Let me stress this: I did not nearly lose my footing because of the combined steps; I nearly lost my footing every time he took a step. Finally, I did something that I really didn't want to do. I looked up at the beast.
You could look at a picture of the beast and get an idea what he's like, but let me tell you, none of that compares to actually seeing the beast in all of his terrible glory. I was later told that it was a little over 160 feet tall, but to me he seemed to stretch for miles. A few words went through my mind as I stared at him: dinosaur, dragon, leviathan, creature from the depths of hell. But none of these seemed to give the creature justice. Having grown up in a Christian home, I couldn't call it a god. No, I think the best way to describe it was The Wrath of God. For a second I wondered if this was what Sodom and Gomorra went through.
I just stood there looking at the creature. What happened next was either the best thing that ever happened to me, or the worst mistake of my life. I looked directly into the beasts eyes. I could have sworn that they were burning like fire. They seemed to burn right into my soul. I was certain that he was staring right back at me. I could literally feel the anger and the hate flowing out of him. He hated us with all of his heart. I kept asking myself what we had done to make him hate us so much.
I repeated it – what had we done?
What. Had. We. Done.
When I finally mustered enough courage to move I began to run for my life. I thanked God that he seemed to be heading the other way. I heard a few people crying out 'Gojira'. I later learned that that was the name of legendary sea monster. I guess the beast looked kind of like it. The beast roared again and this time my ears really did bleed. Despite my better judgment, I looked back at gigantic monster, and what I saw shook me to the core.
Neon blue hell erupted from the beast's mouth. Everything that ghostly flame struck simply died. Nothing was let but melted steel and ash. So I kept running. I ran, and I ran, and I ran until I couldn't run anymore. By the time that I was almost ready to collapse I took one last look back at the monster, which I was certain was following me personally. Luckily, he had gone the other way and was now miles away, yet I could still clearly see him. He was still destroying, and continued to ravage throughout the night. I was certain that he would not be satisfied until he had burnt the entire city into the ground. I saw a few soldiers try desperately to destroy the beast, but their blows just glanced off of his hide. I then realized that he wasn't just strong, he was invincible.
The King of the Monsters
Less than 24 hours later, Tokyo no longer existed. It was just a pile of rubble. Then I heard the incredible – a single man had sacrificed himself to destroy the beast. This Dr. Serizawa had used this weapon of his (wasn't it called the Oxygen Destroyer) to destroy the beast, and he died with the beast so that no one could ever use the weapon again. I know I never met the man, but I know it takes a lot of courage and wisdom to do something like that.
You remember that Steve Martin fellow I mentioned earlier. Well, he had reported the entire event and given the creature the name we all know him by now – Godzilla. The next day, there wasn't a newspaper in the world that didn't talk about the tragedy. You couldn't walk 20 feet without seeing a paper with the headline 'GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS!' or 'TOKYO DESTROYED BY GIANT MONSTER'. I can tell you with absolute certainty that the world was never the same after that day.
But perhaps the most shocking thing about the whole event was that that was not the last we would see of Godzilla. One year later he appeared in Osaka and actually fought another monster. Now, most people will tell you that this Godzilla is completely different creature, but I know that isn't true. I saw the beast one more time, and I will tell you right here that he has the same exact eyes as the beast as the one I saw in 54. There is only one Godzilla.
Has it really been 54 years since that day? It feels like it was just yesterday. Now I'm an old man, and Godzilla is still going strong. I've lost count of how many other monsters he's fought. That is perhaps the most amazing about Godzilla. When he first appeared 54 years ago, we all called him the King of the Monsters. Despite all the other monsters that have appeared, he still holds that title. Creatures like Anguirus, Rodan, King Ghidora, Hedora, Gigan, Megalon, and Mechagodzilla have all tried to take the crown and failed. Sure, he had a few close calls, and there were monsters that were so powerful that he needed help to defeat them, but he always came through in the end. Do you want to know why? None of them have the spirit of the King. They haven't felt the loss. They don't have the anger or the pain. They fill fear. That is why he has kept that title for 54 years.
He is still Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The End
I hope you enjoyed my tribute to Godzilla. If you did, let me know by reviewing.
Happy Birthday Godzilla!