"The Monster Faced the Possibility of Obsolescence" by Richard F. Yates

The human race has come a long way since branching off from the furry rodents that skittered across forest floors, hiding in nooks and crannies and holes in trees or in caves. They developed cooking techniques, domesticated animals, learned to farm, created writing and art, and invented TALENT SHOWS. With the creation of the first arcade style video games, humanity reached its zenith, and further evolution seemed unlikely and INDEED, unnecessary!

Monsters, who had ruled the world before the rise of the hairless apes, faded into forests and underground caves and closets and into the imaginations of certain, lucky individuals---who understood the value of fangs and claws and growling and frightening folks who required a good bit of horror...

And even the mighty Cyclops, once a paragon of monstrosity, whose legendary strength and ferocity inspired a chapter in a Homeric poem, was left wondering, "Are we obsolete? Have humans become so monstrous in-and-of themselves, that we're no longer needed???"

Beowulf and the Dragon came to a similar conclusion as, mortally wounded, they confided their mutual respect for each other and died...

Perhaps all isn't lost, though, as human de-volution has begun to accelerate! Perhaps the monsters will get their day in the moonlight, once again, in some future age... They can wait. They've got time...

For now, monsters are out of style---as humans are too busy terrorizing each other to bother with shadows in hallways or howling calls from the moors or claws tapping on windows. Humans are the monsters now---or, more likely, FOR NOW... But, thankfully, it's tough to keep a good monster down...

---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)