Prompt 046: Monster
Character: David
David sat at the kitchen table, watching the news anchor on the television talk about some recent story. He was too young to really care about that stuff. He was more focused on his cereal and trying to eat it before it got too soggy. His father, though, was fully focused on the screen. David didn't understand how the news could keep a person's attention. It was always boring, the people on the screen never did anything fun, and the stories were depressing.
David's father huffed, disgusted. "Hard to believe someone could do that to another human being. It's just horrible." The man scowled and bit off a part of his bacon.
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about it in front of David," his mother spoke up. "He's too young to be able to understand." David's mother looked toward him, concerned.
"Nonsense," his father countered. "A man needs to know what the world is like, and David is a man." His father leaned over toward him. "It's about time you learned about how people are. It's not always like it is in books. Tell me, son, what does a bad person look like?"
"He wears black," David began. "He usually has black or blond hair and its slicked back. Oh, and their laugh is evil."
"That's how it is in books and vids, but not in the real world," his father informed him. "In the real world the bad guys look just like you and me. They blend in; and you can't tell who they are just by appearance, only by action. The man they're talking about on the news…" his father motioned toward the screen. David nodded his head, indicating he understood what his father was referencing. "He's a bad man, but doesn't look like one. We know he's a bad man because he hurts others, but he's more than that. That man is a monster."
"What's the difference?" David asked.
"Bad guys just hurt people, monsters kill them," his father answered. "The only people you can be sure are good are the police. Their duty is to protect the people. If ever you're in danger, you know to find a police officer." David nodded his head vigorously. His parents had always taught him that if he was threatened or lost that he should look for a police officer. "So if you see someone doing something bad?"
"I'll find a cop and tell them about the bad man," David answered. "So, do they not have evil laughs?" He found it hard to believe they didn't. After all even the bad guys dressed like good guys on the vids had evil laughs.
"No, no evil laugh," his father stated. "You can't judge a man on his laugh. Only on his words and actions."
"All right," David agreed, a bit disappointed. He'd been hoping for something other than actions to tell if someone was bad. He hated that he'd have to wait for someone to be hurt before he could know for sure.