that?” I asked, my heart rate calming. “I don’t know.” My dad said. Suddenly, he hugged me. “But,
don’t listen to a word it said. We all love you. You mustn’t believe what the monster said, Valerie!”
He demanded.
“Okay, okay I won’t, I promise.” I said, holding my hands up.
“That’s good.” He muttered, then stood and walked out.
The next day we were visiting an indigenous family, called the Chinbat’s. Mother, loudly
exclaimed that they would be telling us about old traditions and tales. Now, here we were, sitting
at a round table with the Chinbat’s, when the father, “Deleger Chinbat” started talking. “There is
the great legend of the polymorph.” He said, voice thick with accent. “ It all began with Aruinbold.
He was a great warrior who wanted to show people that he was the best. So, he created a monster.
Long days, and nights he spent in his quarters, trying to make it. In the end he died from what he
had created.”
“The what?” Vanessa asked. “A shape shifter, you might call it.” He paused, “it turns into your
worst nightmare, the thing you fear the most.” The gears started turning in my head. “There is
only one way to defeat it, a small defect.”
“What? What defect?” I demanded from him.
“Confuse it.” He whispered.
Together, we hatched a plan to stop the Polymorph. Now it was in front of us, we had found it,
in the desert. Flickering from form to form; Vanessa, king cobra, giant spider, clowns, a scarecrow
and back again. It looked me in the eye; it stayed Vanessa and advanced on me. “Don’t you dare!
That’s my sister!” That was Vanessa’s voice, but it wasn’t coming from the monster. My real sister
came into view. She shouted, “You have no right, to do this. I hate you.
I love my sister. Don’t make her feel bad. You disgust me!” The fake her became smaller and
smaller, until it was gone. Vanessa came running to hug me. At that moment, I knew I was loved.
