Frankenstein 1998

A rewrite of the original Frankenstein, booted into the late 20th century and condensed. It was written as a history class project.

Email: from - [email protected]

            To " [email protected]

            Date Feb 25, 1998 

Subject: My dear Margret,

           

First, let me say I miss you with all my heart, and that the research is going well. I look forward to coming home once our studies here are complete. Please give my best to my friends there, as well as our parents. I am sorry, but I must end my social talk there, as there is a limit to the data I can send due to servers, and I must take up the rest for what I am about to tell you.

            The most astounding things have occurred to me, and I felt I must tell someone else, I have seen things that would drive some men mad, but have only been intrigued by them. This tale must start somewhere, so I will start with the finding of Frankenstein.

            As you know I had come up here to aid in construction of the new complex, and it was during a land survey that I first saw the man who would tell me such a grand tale. It was the middle of the day, and I remember the temperature being unusually high at -30, it was clear. While surveying, I saw a snowmobile in the distance with a large figure sitting in it. I looked through a pair of binoculars, and was confronted with a horror of what I saw. Whoever the man was that sat in the snowmobile was he must have been at least ten foeett tall. I did not have much time to observe however since he soon went over a hill that cut him off from my sight.

 I was debating perusing him when another snowmobile came into sight, this one presumably following the first rider. I once again looked through the binoculars, and saw a man on the vehicle. He seemed unconscious, and as I was watching I saw him fall off the Snowmobile. I of course raced over to check on the man, and finding him still alive, but in an obviously weakened state took him back to the base.

            It was many days before he came back to consciousness, and even then he could hardly move. I took a particular interest in him, and would often talk to him in my time off. He seemed a man at the edge of his sanity. He would often talk to me with such fervor and feeling. I could tell he was miserable, and the only thing driving him was some deep set motivation. After several days, he finally decided to tell me his story, and in his word

            “I am telling you so that when I am gone there will be knowledge of the atrocities of what man can do.”

            I will tell you now sister that I recorded his story at his request, and this email is a summarization of these recordings. Once home again I plan on publishing these recordings so the world can know what Frankenstein had accomplished, and scientist know to stay away from his work. So without further commentary I will tell you Frankenstein’s story.

            I was born in Geneva, Switzerland to wealthy parents, and was schooled by the finest institution money could buy. I had a neighbor, Elizabeth Lavenza, and Henry Clerval who was the son of the gardener, and the three of us were good friends. We three often spent time in study, and play together throughout our childhoods. We grew up to be very close friends, and Elizabeth and I were promised to each other by our parents after my college education was complete. I looked forward to this greatly, as I had grown close to her. My college education was planned to occur at Ingolstadt, Germany since I had a natural inclination to the sciences, and my parents desired me to be a research doctor.

            I had studied some sciences before college, but it was at Ingolstadt that I finally gained my true passion for the subject. Though initially I was turned off by a professor who belittled me greatly, I met my mentor Waldman who gave me a driving passion. It is through him that I started my decent that would eventually lead me to be the miserable being that I am today. He was abnormal in his teaching, and he believed that science could far exceed nature, and even conquer it. He was my most inspirational teacher, and I found that due to his mentoring I came upon the idea of my demise.

            One night during study I thought that if man could truly conquer nature, why couldn’t he conquer all aspects of her, even death. I became consumed by this thought and spent all my free time to study it. It took a few years, but I think I had finally worked it out. No more would man need to fear decay, or worry for death.

I had learned all I could from school, but decided to extend my stay making use of the local resources. I began to gather materials for my experiment, no one knew what I was doing, and if they had I would have been thrown out or arrested. It took many months, during which I all but neglected to keep up with family or friends. I had become obsessed working to create life, to take tissue that was once dead and mold it into a creature. I would be its creator, the first of its kind immortal and powerful I would be its god, its mother would not be nature but rather science, and its father me.

If only I had known then what I was creating I would have destroyed my work and resolved myself to a quiet life. I had dreams that my creation would be an obedient and peaceful creature, and oh how foolish I was in believing that. After many months I had finally achieved the climax of my study the night was raining and my creature lay on my table in all his glory. I injected him with the ATP serum that I had spent my time developing; it forced tissues to have life once again. A kick start that would make the tissues runs more efficiently then in life with no cellular death.

After injecting the serum I was at first exulted and then quickly horrified. The creature was hideous, something so foul that it threw my eyes away. It was not his appearance, for I had made that large, but not otherwise unbearable. Something about his mere sight drew fear and hate to him. Like a predator one would fear and hate the creature instinctually. I must destroy it, but I have no idea how, I left exhausted, and secure in knowing he was banded to the bed I had brought him to life on. It was not hard to sleep; my months of toil had worn greatly on me. I woke up in the middle of the night with the great shadow of my creature over me. The memory of his smile frightens me to this day, so full of evil and malice it nearly drove me mad at that moment.

I quickly fled, running from the house in fear. I spent the night thinking in the courtyard, and preparing myself for the apprehension of the monster. I decide as the suns rising to go into town and grab some tools to aid me. I am assaulted by a great surprise however when I find Henry Clerval come out of the local inn. He greeted me and I of course was glad to see him and be reminded of those back home who loved me. I almost forget about the horrors of the last months and find myself inviting him to come back with me to my home. Perhaps a darker side of me thinks he can help me capture the creature. When we arrive I go in first and quickly check the house and find that my creation has disappeared, and being so relived I am hit with the exhaustion of the past few months and collapse.

The next few months where spent in a fever slowly recovering, with the aid of my dear friend Henry. I had chance to talk to him and found he was here for schooling, and I felt horrid to have delayed him in his endeavors. Once I was well again I found that he had been in contact with my father and betrothed and that he had kept them informed of my health, but spared them from the severity of it. Once I was healthy enough I quickly talked with them and set a date for my return.

            In truth if I had known the fate of my return I would have never have come back. I came home glad to return, forgetting about the tragedy of my experiments and illness. I was crushed to find however that my arrival home was overshadowed by the murder of my sweet younger brother. Hearing the news once I came home I could do nothing but break down and talk a walk to try to collect myself. I walked to a forest reserve close to my home, and the site of the murder of my brother. I was wondering what foul person could murder one so innocent when I saw a flash of a man among the trees. Fearing for my own life I became alert, and that is when I saw an evil smile that I recognized. It makes sense then I do not know how the monster I created is here. I had even convinced myself partly that he had disappeared forever, how foolish I was in my belief. I saw no more than a brief flash of that smile before the creature vanish among the shadows with an inhuman grace and quickness.

I hurried home distraught in the knowledge that it had been my creature who killed William, and therefore by extension me. In the next few days the police found evidence on the murderer, and I was shocked to find they believed it was Justine best friend of My dear friend and future wife Elizabeth. I knew the truth, but there where witnesses and they even found her to have a locket my brother had at the time, that linked her to the crime. What was I to do, I knew the true murderer, but I could not come forward with the knowledge. I had to watch her trial imprisonment and execution and it tore into me like a jagged knife.

I decided then to find my monster and kill it with my own hands, I thought about where I might find it and knew the only place he could go unnoticed was deep in the Alps. So I journeyed there under pretense of vacation, and accompanied by my father, and Elizabeth. One day while walking the alps alone I noticed a figure bounding towards me with a fierce speed and grace. I realized what he was and immediately readied myself to assault my foul creation. He easily bested me however, and commenced to tell me his story. He had learned English by hiding in the walls of an old house in the country and leaving only at night. There he had learned to speak, and a great deal more. He had also fallen in love with the family he learned from though they knew not that he existed. When he reviled himself believing them to be kind hearted enough to accept him, he was horrified to find they attacked and feared him. He ran from them broken hearted and wanting a companion, he then remembered me and how I had created and then abandoned him.

He turned all malice towards me and determined himself to track me down after finding my journal in the cloths he had taken with him when fleeing my home. He told me of his desire for me to create him a companion a female like him, and told me he would forever leave humanity if I would do so, and destroy it if I did not. Because I felt some sympathy for him and in part feared him I agreed. I returned, and immediately started to work on the new creation, but found myself unable to do it in my home so I took Henry and we traveled through England till I found a secluded island I could work on. I left Henry in a nearby town, and started my frantic work, recreating what I had done not long before.

I was near completion, when one night it was raining, and through a flash of lightning I saw the smile of my first creation, like coming out of a sleep I realized now the evil he had within him, nothing could knowingly kill an innocent child out of spite alone. In my enlightened state I determined to destroy my project, and I set about ripping the corpse to shreds. My creation came in and confronted me telling me I would come to hate the day that I had torn its happiness away, and that he would be with me my wedding night.

Being exhausted from my ordeals, but knowing I must finish the destruction of my work I gather my supplies and rowed out to sea. I threw my scientific tools, and the remains of my destroyed experiment. My dark deed done I fell asleep in my boat rocked by the tranquil motions of nature. I awoke, and made my way to shore, only to find myself arrested by the locals on charges of murder. I was taken to the body of my supposed victim and was horrified to find it was my dear friend Henry. His neck was a deep purple and he was obviously strangled, I fell into a fit of insanity and sickness, and it took months for me to recover. I was acquitted due to a witness on the island I had been on, and I was picked up by my father. I made it home in a week state, and was informed that my wedding would take place soon. I remembered the threat the monster had made and resolved myself for it. I thought the monster would come for me so I prepared myself for mortal combat.

My wedding was the happiest time of my life for I truly did love Elizabeth, and she helped remind me of the happiness of life and love. I was anxious for that night when I would fight my creation, and after a beautiful day with my new wife I decided to leave the hotel room to fight the creature away from her.

My world shattered when I heard her scream and understanding came upon me. I realized now the monster never wished to harm me but merely rob me of all joy. I ran back to the room to find him hand around her sweet neck smiling wickedly. I took aim with my gun and was going to fire when he fled to quickly for me to follow. I broke down, but refused to let myself succumb to my insanity and grief.

I made my way home, only to arrive to my father’s death. He was unable to handle the grief and killed himself. I was now the heir to a large fortune, and I was determined to use it to hunt down and destroy my abominable creation. I spent years tracking him and being taunted by him. I was fueled by hate and desire to avenge those now dead, eventually my pursuit led me here, and to where I was found by you.

I tell you now sister I was a little hesitant to believe this man’s tale, since it seemed impossible. I would have likely set it aside as impossible but for one thing. Frankenstein died shortly after his tale, the exhaustion and malnutrition seeming to be too much to overcome. In all honesty I would have pushed his tale off as a dying man’s insanity, but I was visited by the creature himself. I had decided that I would bury Frankenstein myself since I had been the closest thing to a friend he had. It was when I was preparing to dig the hole that the creature came to me. I will tell you sister his physical appearance was horrifying, but that is not what turned my eyes from him. He had and energy around him something dark something that should not exist. As a human I felt naturally repulsed by him, he horrified my very being.

He approached me and pleaded that he be allowed to take the body, and he told me he wished to die go into the sea with his creator, sinking to the depths to die. He spoke with such sincerity I found I believed him, I still think him to be evil, but there was goodness in him. Even without the goodness, I think he was sick of living and of being alone, pure malice held no more joy for him and all he wished was the calm of death. I gave the creature his creator, and that was the last I ever saw of him.

Again sister I apologize for the shortness of this e-mail, I am greatly limited in my ability to tell you all the details. I look forward to seeing you, and have decided to come home as soon as possible. This project is not worth me risking my life, it is time I was safe at home and settled down.

Email: from - ***********.Gov

            To " [email protected]

            Date Feb 26, 1998

Subject: Re: My dear Margret

           

Dear Mr. Robert we have reviewed your email, and found it to contain confidential information. It is also a misuse of resources so we have decided to inform you that it will not be delivered.

Email: from - ***********.Gov

            To " [email protected]

            Date Feb 26, 1998

Subject: Re: My dear Margret

Dear misses Saville,

 We regret to inform you that there has been an accident. Your brother has fallen through a collapse of an ice shelf, and no remains where able to recover.  We give you our condolences, and will be in contact with you over his funeral, and other legal matters.

Reviews

[Nusquam Esse]

I see that we used somewhat similar styles; the whole journal being read style. It is difficult to do! I particularly liked the the bit about " I would be its god, its mother would not be nature but rather science, and its father me.", that and the emails at the end, they give it a nice dark twist to it. Ummm, this is however riddled with typos, an example being You mispelled feet as foeett, You should definitely go over this and do a proof, especially for punctuation. There are numerous areas of this story which would benefit greatly from commas and semicolons.