I Believe In Monsters Analysis
I Believe in Monsters *Jenna is sitting in a huddle on the floor. Arms are folded, and she doesn't look the audience in the eye. She is singing the happy birthday song. Mr. Slader opens the door and begins to yell at her to be quiet. Scared Jenna crawls away, but tries to calm him down. It works.*
Every child is afraid of monsters. And that’s why, before we go to sleep, mommy checks under the bed, and daddy checks in the closet to make sure we’re safe, because that’s what parents do. They protect us. But there are some monsters out there that they can't protect us from. I am Morgan Loos and this is I Believe in Monsters by T.J. Jensen and myself.
*Present. Jenna is getting interviewed about her experience about being kidnapped.* …show more content…
What people fail to realize, is when you’re gone for 8 years, you become a completely different person.
You view the world differently. Everything that you once knew is now foreign, strange… It just changes you. I mean one day you can wake up, go to the mirror, and instead of a reflection, you see a totally different person. That was one of the hardest things for me to accept. When I looked in the mirror, all I saw was a stranger.
So let’s talk about those 8 years. I mean you’ve been gone for so long, you’ve endured so much. Why now? Why tell your story now?
Because it’s real. These things really happen to so many people all over the country and I am tired of people turning a blind eye. In the 80’s, people didn’t believe in monsters. You knew you could trust your next door neighbor with anything. Now a days, you don’t know if your next door neighbor is Mr. Rogers, or a monster. I am telling my story because I am living proof that monsters are real, and they don’t just live under your bed. They can be right across the street, waiting.
*Jenna gets up and walks to one end of the stage. As she does, she changes her demeanor changes to that of a nine year old girl. She takes a deep breath, mumbles some words of encouragement and “knocks” on the
door.*
Hey Mr. Slader! I was wondering if you would be able to donate some money for my school fundraiser! If my class gets the most, we get a whole pizza party all to ourselves!
Of course Jenna! Come inside and sit while I go get my checkbook.
Okay! *Jenna goes inside and sits on the chair. She can make slight comments as she walks in to make it more realistic.*
So how’s school going?
Good! I really like science because Mrs. Clarkson lets us pet the lizard and sometimes I even get to hold him! But I don’t like art because Mr. Gibson doesn't let me sit next to Emily and Emily has been my best friend since 2nd grade.
That’s great! Here’s 20 bucks. I hope that's enough. Thanks Mr. Slader! I’m gonna go now! I gotta go before my Mom gets home or I’ll be in big trouble!
Oh I understand. Where is your mom at?
She’s at work, but if I don’t set the table before she gets home, I’ll get my soccer ball taken away.
I was having so much fun talking with you though!
Yeah, I’m sorry… Maybe next time.
Why don’t you stay just a bit longer? I could make us some sandwiches!
Thanks sir, but I really gotta go now.
I don’t think I can let that happen Jenna…
What.. I uh, I don’t under… Sir?
Don’t worry Jenna, we’re going to have lots of fun together…
No sir please I need to go now…
But I don't want you to leave…
*Jenna begins to panic and tries to get away. She runs to the door, but gets caught by Mr. Slader. He jerks her arm back and throws her into the chair. This acts as a transition back into the present.*
And then what happened?
He hit me, multiple times, until I was unconscious. The next thing I remember was waking up, alone in a dark room. I tried to find a door, or an opening or just some way for me to get out, but I couldn’t, because my ankle was shackled to a wall. I heard… I hea-... I'm sorry do you mind if I stand up for a moment?
Of course.
Thank you. *She stands* I heard something above me and a light shined down. I listened as he came down the ladder and slowly came closer to me. Mocking me. He told me that I was a “smart cookie” for thinking that I could get away. He told me that I could try as hard as I wanted, but it still wouldn’t make a difference. He leaned in close to me, and even in the darkness of that bunker, I saw evil on that man’s face.
That must of been so traumatic for you. Of course it was traumatic! From that moment on, that man inflicted nothing but trauma, pain, fear, and hatred on me. He began to control every detail of my life! He had complete control over me. And that was when I knew I belonged to him.
*Jenna is sitting in her captures bunker. She is crying. It’s been a few years since she’s been captured, and she is slowly learning how to react around Mr. Slader. Mr. Slader comes down. Jenna sees him, and slides away from him.*
Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this!? What do you want from me?! Let me go please! *pause* Please just let me g- *BITCH SLAP*
Please… Just tell me what you want... You. Why else would you be here?
Please if you let me go, I- I- I won’t tell anyone that I was here, or that it was you, or anything!
You really think I’m going to let you go? Do you think I’m stupid?!
I don’t care what you want! You’re here, for me. To serve, me.
No I don’t think you’re stupid! Wh-... What are you gonna do to me…? *Mr. Slader begins to unzip his pants.*
Oh my God… No, please don’t do this… Please you can do whatever you want... Please…
*As Mr. Slader approaches, Jenna gets more panicked, and tries to crawl away, but there is nowhere for her to go. She is crying and pleading, but accepts her fate. Mr. Slader grabs Jenna by her collar, Jenna goes on her tippy toes and starts yelling for help. She is extremely frightened and tense. After the last cry for help she takes a deep breath and slowly declines from her panic. She crosses her arms, shutting everyone out. As she slowly walks back to her chair she becomes present day Jenna. *
Everything hurt… my stomach, my legs… my… *She cringes* Just when I thought this monster couldn’t take anything else, away from me, he found something… something that I will never, ever be able to get back! And once wasn’t enough for him… As much as I learned to block it out, the pain will never go away. To make up for it, he was “rewarding” me for being his “good little girl.” The rewards were small at first. Like books, or small toys… Small things to occupy my time… These toys meant nothing to me… He was taunting me, and he liked it! These toys were just reminders of the unexplainable things I would let him do to me! As this went on, the “rewards” got a little bigger. Like a mirror, a board game… *Jenna chokes up trying to hold back tears.* and… *Chokes up again. She can barely get these words out without losing it.* and a soccer ball… I’m so sorry…
No it's okay honey. Take your time.
*She composes herself.* The best thing he gave me though, was a T.V. It only had a couple of channels, but those couple of channels were the closest things I had to freedom. I watched a lot of the local news. I remember the anchor man telling me that the high school got new bleachers, and Mrs. Finley retired, and that I was still missing. And then he told me that there was a robbery at the local Home Depot, and how gas prices were rising, and I was still missing. And then he told me that seniors got in trouble for a prank, and I was still missing. And I was still missing. And. I. Was. Still. Missing.
But you’re not Jenna, you’re here. Against all odds, you made it out. What was it, inside you, that pushed you to get out. Many victims fight, but in the end, they just give up. But you… Jenna you didn’t. Why?
Why didn’t I give up…? I… I wasn’t about to be some monsters trophy. Men like Mr. Slader, they thrive on innocence. To them, it’s their drug... Their fix, and they can’t get enough. Once they get a taste, the crave more and more. I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. I wasn’t going break for him. I was going to fight… And I wasn’t going to stop fighting until I felt the sun on my face again. The things that happened in that buker damaged me. Because of what he did to me, I can’t have kids, but I guess that’s okay because I don’t even know what it means to be a kid... There isn’t a night that goes by that I don’t see that monster’s face in my sleep. I am damaged, but… I am not broken… I’m free.
Every child is afraid of monsters. And that’s why, before we go to sleep, mommy checks under the bed, and daddy checks in the closet to make sure we’re safe, because that’s what parents do. They protect us. But there are some monsters out there that they can't protect us from. I am Morgan Loos and this is I Believe in Monsters by T.J. Jensen and myself.
*Present. Jenna is getting interviewed about her experience about being kidnapped.* …show more content…
What people fail to realize, is when you’re gone for 8 years, you become a completely different person.
You view the world differently. Everything that you once knew is now foreign, strange… It just changes you. I mean one day you can wake up, go to the mirror, and instead of a reflection, you see a totally different person. That was one of the hardest things for me to accept. When I looked in the mirror, all I saw was a stranger.
So let’s talk about those 8 years. I mean you’ve been gone for so long, you’ve endured so much. Why now? Why tell your story now?
Because it’s real. These things really happen to so many people all over the country and I am tired of people turning a blind eye. In the 80’s, people didn’t believe in monsters. You knew you could trust your next door neighbor with anything. Now a days, you don’t know if your next door neighbor is Mr. Rogers, or a monster. I am telling my story because I am living proof that monsters are real, and they don’t just live under your bed. They can be right across the street, waiting.
*Jenna gets up and walks to one end of the stage. As she does, she changes her demeanor changes to that of a nine year old girl. She takes a deep breath, mumbles some words of encouragement and “knocks” on the
door.*
Hey Mr. Slader! I was wondering if you would be able to donate some money for my school fundraiser! If my class gets the most, we get a whole pizza party all to ourselves!
Of course Jenna! Come inside and sit while I go get my checkbook.
Okay! *Jenna goes inside and sits on the chair. She can make slight comments as she walks in to make it more realistic.*
So how’s school going?
Good! I really like science because Mrs. Clarkson lets us pet the lizard and sometimes I even get to hold him! But I don’t like art because Mr. Gibson doesn't let me sit next to Emily and Emily has been my best friend since 2nd grade.
That’s great! Here’s 20 bucks. I hope that's enough. Thanks Mr. Slader! I’m gonna go now! I gotta go before my Mom gets home or I’ll be in big trouble!
Oh I understand. Where is your mom at?
She’s at work, but if I don’t set the table before she gets home, I’ll get my soccer ball taken away.
I was having so much fun talking with you though!
Yeah, I’m sorry… Maybe next time.
Why don’t you stay just a bit longer? I could make us some sandwiches!
Thanks sir, but I really gotta go now.
I don’t think I can let that happen Jenna…
What.. I uh, I don’t under… Sir?
Don’t worry Jenna, we’re going to have lots of fun together…
No sir please I need to go now…
But I don't want you to leave…
*Jenna begins to panic and tries to get away. She runs to the door, but gets caught by Mr. Slader. He jerks her arm back and throws her into the chair. This acts as a transition back into the present.*
And then what happened?
He hit me, multiple times, until I was unconscious. The next thing I remember was waking up, alone in a dark room. I tried to find a door, or an opening or just some way for me to get out, but I couldn’t, because my ankle was shackled to a wall. I heard… I hea-... I'm sorry do you mind if I stand up for a moment?
Of course.
Thank you. *She stands* I heard something above me and a light shined down. I listened as he came down the ladder and slowly came closer to me. Mocking me. He told me that I was a “smart cookie” for thinking that I could get away. He told me that I could try as hard as I wanted, but it still wouldn’t make a difference. He leaned in close to me, and even in the darkness of that bunker, I saw evil on that man’s face.
That must of been so traumatic for you. Of course it was traumatic! From that moment on, that man inflicted nothing but trauma, pain, fear, and hatred on me. He began to control every detail of my life! He had complete control over me. And that was when I knew I belonged to him.
*Jenna is sitting in her captures bunker. She is crying. It’s been a few years since she’s been captured, and she is slowly learning how to react around Mr. Slader. Mr. Slader comes down. Jenna sees him, and slides away from him.*
Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this!? What do you want from me?! Let me go please! *pause* Please just let me g- *BITCH SLAP*
Please… Just tell me what you want... You. Why else would you be here?
Please if you let me go, I- I- I won’t tell anyone that I was here, or that it was you, or anything!
You really think I’m going to let you go? Do you think I’m stupid?!
I don’t care what you want! You’re here, for me. To serve, me.
No I don’t think you’re stupid! Wh-... What are you gonna do to me…? *Mr. Slader begins to unzip his pants.*
Oh my God… No, please don’t do this… Please you can do whatever you want... Please…
*As Mr. Slader approaches, Jenna gets more panicked, and tries to crawl away, but there is nowhere for her to go. She is crying and pleading, but accepts her fate. Mr. Slader grabs Jenna by her collar, Jenna goes on her tippy toes and starts yelling for help. She is extremely frightened and tense. After the last cry for help she takes a deep breath and slowly declines from her panic. She crosses her arms, shutting everyone out. As she slowly walks back to her chair she becomes present day Jenna. *
Everything hurt… my stomach, my legs… my… *She cringes* Just when I thought this monster couldn’t take anything else, away from me, he found something… something that I will never, ever be able to get back! And once wasn’t enough for him… As much as I learned to block it out, the pain will never go away. To make up for it, he was “rewarding” me for being his “good little girl.” The rewards were small at first. Like books, or small toys… Small things to occupy my time… These toys meant nothing to me… He was taunting me, and he liked it! These toys were just reminders of the unexplainable things I would let him do to me! As this went on, the “rewards” got a little bigger. Like a mirror, a board game… *Jenna chokes up trying to hold back tears.* and… *Chokes up again. She can barely get these words out without losing it.* and a soccer ball… I’m so sorry…
No it's okay honey. Take your time.
*She composes herself.* The best thing he gave me though, was a T.V. It only had a couple of channels, but those couple of channels were the closest things I had to freedom. I watched a lot of the local news. I remember the anchor man telling me that the high school got new bleachers, and Mrs. Finley retired, and that I was still missing. And then he told me that there was a robbery at the local Home Depot, and how gas prices were rising, and I was still missing. And then he told me that seniors got in trouble for a prank, and I was still missing. And I was still missing. And. I. Was. Still. Missing.
But you’re not Jenna, you’re here. Against all odds, you made it out. What was it, inside you, that pushed you to get out. Many victims fight, but in the end, they just give up. But you… Jenna you didn’t. Why?
Why didn’t I give up…? I… I wasn’t about to be some monsters trophy. Men like Mr. Slader, they thrive on innocence. To them, it’s their drug... Their fix, and they can’t get enough. Once they get a taste, the crave more and more. I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. I wasn’t going break for him. I was going to fight… And I wasn’t going to stop fighting until I felt the sun on my face again. The things that happened in that buker damaged me. Because of what he did to me, I can’t have kids, but I guess that’s okay because I don’t even know what it means to be a kid... There isn’t a night that goes by that I don’t see that monster’s face in my sleep. I am damaged, but… I am not broken… I’m free.