He “rescues” monsters from under beds, detangles them from closets, and saves them from the horrors of dark, drafty basements, then returns them to their natural habitat – The Dump.
Haven’t you ever seen Nickelodeon’s classic cartoon “AAAHH!!! Real Monsters!” ??
When EldestDaughter was little, she adored this show, & lived its tenets religiously. Monsters lived at the dump, and went to school there. They only came to human homes to practice their scares, and if they were still there by daylight – well – they had to be rescued – of course.
When EldestDaughter ended up with one caught under her bed… She knew.
And of course, he came right over. Because what else do Papas do when their granddaughters call? I ask you?
So, he “rescued” the monster, stuffing it deep in his pocket (so the daylight wouldn’t hurt its eyes…duh…), and EldestDaughter then announced that she simply had to go with him to the Dump to make sure the monster was properly released.
Well, he took her, anyway, & they released the monster, which promptly scurried off into its proper hole to get back to “class”.
Or so EldestDaughter informed me when she got home. I’m trusting her imagination on that one.
Papa’s reputation as a Monster Man was solidified when EldestDaughter retold the story to one of her friends.
Cut to a couple of years later….
Papa gets a phone call from said little girl’s mother.
When he got to the house, he had Girl stand at the top of the basement stairs with a laundry basket.
So, Dad clomped down the stairs, banged around some, hollering & clanking things together for a few minutes…putting up a fight, you know.
And when he came upstairs…lo and behold, there was a suspicious lump in his coat pocket, which he kept confined with his hand, telling it to “settle down & behave” because he was “taking it home”.
Another satisfied customer of the Monster Man.
The Dump closed a couple of years ago.
And Girl is now a grownup…who recently got married & lives out of state.
And my dad likes a website called ThinkGeek.
Ever hear of the Eviltron?
Well, its a tiny, magnetic speaker. That makes various, creepy noises.
Dad built a small box, & attached this doohickey to a rare-earth magnet inside the box.
And mailed it to the unsuspecting new, young bride.
After turning it on…of course.
He included a note telling her that, since the Dump had been closed, SHE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO BE ONCE AGAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR HER MONSTER – SO HE WAS MAILING IT BACK TO HER.
Is 20 years a long enough time to dedicate to a joke?
My father received a beautiful thank you note in the mail later, telling him that this was the single most memorable and original wedding present ever received.
Signed – Girl, and her Boy.
I think it’s time to return it to Dad.
Seriously – I think he needs to build one more monster box – for EldestDaughter.
The originator who gave the Monster Man his reputation to begin with.
Get her, Papa. She’ll love it.
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