CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Peace at Last

Victor Frankenstein's story was finished. Robert Walton was amazed, but he did not know what to think of Victor Frankenstein. He was a brilliant scientist, but he had accidentally caused the deaths of his family. He had created a new life, but then he had left his being to suffer alone. Walton felt very sorry for Victor, but he did not really understand him. Still, he wanted to know one more thing. "Frankenstein," he asked, "please, I really want to know how, exactly, you built this creature. Tell me the secret!" "Are you crazy, Robert Walton? Haven't you listened to my story? If I tell you, you might try to create another monster, like the one that is near us now. Another horrible, evil thing! No, no one will ever know the secret. It will die with me." "But he wasn't evil at first," Walton thought to himself, but he did not say anything. He knew he could never create another monster.

Weeks went by, but the ship was still trapped in the ice. Walton was afraid that the ship would never be able to leave. If the ice got bigger and harder, it would destroy the ship and they would all die. Victor became weaker and weaker every day. He could not leave his bed.

Then one day, the men heard a loud cracking sound. The solid sea of ice was cracking, because the weather was getting warmer. The ship could move in the water. They were free! They could return to England! Everyone shouted for joy. The captain went to his room and told Victor that the ship could travel at last. "Please, don't return yet," Victor said desperately in a weak voice. "Help me find my enemy first." Walton said, "Frankenstein, I am sorry, but I will not put my men's lives in danger so that you can find this monster. And you are too weak to find him. Please try to understand." "Then go if you must," said Victor, "and thank you for everything you have done. But I can't go with you. I must kill the monster!" Victor tried to lift his white, thin body out of the bed, but he cried out in pain and fell back, unconscious. When he woke up, Victor could hardly breathe or speak. When the doctor saw Victor, he told Walton the sad news. "He has only a few hours to live, sir. His heart and body are too sick. I cannot help him, I'm sorry."

Robert sat in his room and stared at the dying man on the bed. He was sleeping peacefully.

After some time, Victor's eyes opened, and he whispered, "Robert, are you there? I cannot see you. Come closer to me. I have something to say before I die." Walton ran over and sat next to Victor.

"Walton, I do not hate the monster anymore. All these years, a little voice in my heart told me that I was to blame for the monster becoming angry and terrible. I left him alone, and I should have taught him, like a father teaches his child. But when I finished building the monster, he was so ugly and horrible-looking that I could not believe what I had done. All the times I told the monster that I hated him, and how I was afraid of him—Walton, I was really afraid of myself. I was the real monster, not him."

"He might have had a good life if I had helped him. But now, it is too late. He hates people now, and he must be stopped before he kills anyone else. Please ... if you see him, kill him. Do not kill him because he is ugly, or because he has killed people. Kill him because then he will also have peace."

Then Frankenstein said something amazing. "Monster ... if you are watching me, I forgive you for killing my family. And, I am sorry." With that, Victor held the hand of his last friend on earth. His mouth formed a soft, gentle smile and his eyes closed forever.

That night Walton was standing on the ship's deck looking at the beautiful moon and stars. He was thinking about Victor. Suddenly, he heard a strange voice. It was coming from the room where Victor's body lay. Walton knew what was happening. He ran to the room and saw a large shape standing by Victor's body. The monster was crying as he held Victor's cold hand. The sound was painful for Walton to listen to. When he saw Walton watching him, the monster jumped up and ran towards the window. "Wait! Stay! I know who you are!" said the captain.

The monster pointed down at Victor and said, "He is my last victim. I will never kill again. Oh, I only wish he could forgive me for destroying all the people he loved!" At first, Walton wanted to follow Victor's last wish and kill the monster. He was ugly, and miserable. He could never be happy on this earth. But, somehow, Walton did not think he could do that. He said, "Monster, I wish you had never done these terrible things. Frankenstein was wrong to treat you so cruelly, but why did you kill innocent people? They did not deserve to die! Victor died alone, with no one to love him. What do you say to that?" "I have many things to say, human. I hated the things I did. I thought only of my own pain and anger. I only wanted to make Frankenstein as unhappy as I was. But I was not always this way. I began my life as a good, loving being. All I wanted was for Frankenstein, and other people, to care about me, and see the goodness inside me. But no one did that. They only hated and feared me because I am different. No one gave me a chance. That is what changed me." Sometimes I was sorry for Frankenstein, I had killed his little brother, and then another person, the servant girl, died because of what I did. But then Frankenstein broke his promise to make me a friend. And I learned Frankenstein was going to marry, and have a happy life for himself while I was alone. Then, my feelings of sorrow turned to hatred. I killed his best friend, and then his wife. How sorry I am now." Robert remembered what Victor had said. "He will try to make you feel sorry for him." Suddenly he was angry at the horrible-looking thing, and said, "Monster, you ruined Frankenstein's life, and he died, sick and almost crazy, because of you. Now, you come here asking his forgiveness? The only thing you know now is hatred!"

The monster's sad yellow eyes looked at Walton. "What do you know about hate? Why don't you hate Felix, who attacked me and drove me away, when I was becoming friends with his old, blind father? Why don't you hate the man who shot me after I saved his little girl's life? I have been beaten, hated, feared, and left alone by humans. Why shouldn't I hate them? Now that you have seen me, you hate and fear me too ... but not as much as I hate myself. But do not be frightened. The only murder I will commit now is my own. I will leave your ship and travel to a quiet, lonely spot. There, where no one can find me, I will build a fire and burn my miserable body to ashes. Then the wind will take those ashes into the sea. In this way, no part of my body will be found. I do not want a curious person to try to create another being like me. No one should ever have to feel the pain I have felt! So now I will say, 'Goodbye, human. Goodbye, Victor Frankenstein. If you are watching me, you should know that I am sorry now. Good-bye!'"

And the monster jumped through the window.

Robert ran towards the window after him, crying, "Wait! I have something to tell you ... " but the monster was not listening. Walton had wanted to tell the monster that Frankenstein had understood and forgiven him, before he died. But it was too late. The monster was already on a raft, traveling quickly over the water. He was crying loudly. In moments, the monster was far away, lost in the darkness.

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