ALTERNATIVE COMICS the thing under the stairs...

Alternative Comics Monster

Another schizophrenic Toronto afternoon as our early summer weather bounces rebounds after a couple of cold spring days. I certainly took advantage spending a couple hours in the park in between labour intensive sessions hovering over the animation stand. Got a lot done in terms of drawings although little in terms of seconds for the all new HEY APATHY! cartoon funded by the Ontario Council for the Arts. However despite my luxurious division between the outdoors and studio time the weirdest distraction had little to do with any of my attempts to be simultaneously productive and relaxed.

The problem arose later on in the evening as I attempted to compose a short essay for my site. I was writing up a history of the influences and occurrences regarding my decisions to work as a street artist when I heard a strange beeping and clicking coming from under the floor. I tried to ignore it and continue my typing but the consistent sound kept annoying so I was forced to investigate. I followed the noise out my door through the hall eventually identifying it as coming from the stairs. I slowly crawled down the steps with my ears open and discovered a small crack were the sound seemed to originate.

I'd never really considered the stairs as being hollow or even briefly thought that there was any space underneath. In fact if I think about it I was almost most certain that the steps were quite solid until this very minute clicking revealed otherwise. The crack was very small but easily identifiable so I put a knife into the hole and pried it open a bit.

There was a strong stench and a gurgle which over took the mechanical sounds and in a flash the ground gave way underneath my feet. I fell through the stairs and landed in a basement, only it wasn't the laundry room I thought it would be. The room was all damp and dripping and red and a large grotesque leech with the face of a demon bull was slithering to a fro all around the debris. It was hissing and gurgling and making the computer click sounds and I started to sweat in fear for my life. I saw bones sprawled out and bugs that had been chewed as the sluggish atrocity started towards me with it's face all a glow. I was about to shout out and prepared to defend myself, though compared to the size and horror of the beast I was absolutely no match. It's blue glowing face flickered as it gobbled the mucus falling from on of it's faces to another. The beeping and clicking got louder and louder and the creature advanced aggressively and close to my face.

Amazingly as it got within a consumable distance I realized that I was absolutely no concern. The monster slurped passed me starring at the bright screen in it's claw. I was in no danger for the creature was distracted by a small technological game playing device. It was obviously engaged in a simplistic arcade which was responsible for the beeping, as for the clicking I think it was texting a friend....