Parody: Jane Eyre & The Moon
The speaker came forward and leaned on the rails. He continued, uttering each word distinctly, calmly, hauntingly, but not loudly – ‘Mr Rochester has a wife now living and she isn’t all human. At night, when the moon is full, she takes the form of a terrifying beast. It is believed that she has killed countless men over the years, many in this area.’ ‘Yes, I attest to this, for she tried to kill me too not long ago. Look here, at the scar on my shoulder,’ cried Mr Mason as he stretched his neck out and pulled his shirt aside. I turned away and pressed my face into Mr Rochester’s chest. ‘How could you keep such a monster, Mr Rochester? And in an attic of all places, I’m surprised you’re not dead,’ exclaimed Mr Briggs. ‘You know nothing of what I have been through, don’t pass judgement on me, sir.’ Mr Rochester moved in front of me. I saw flames in his eyes and he began to shake with anger, or fear, I could not be sure. ‘But I do pass judgement, sir. The law must acknowledge the beast’s existence, even if you seek to ignore it.’ ‘I do acknowledge it. Every single day I acknowledge it. I have been married, and the woman to whom I was married is a werewolf! I married her fifteen years ago, Bertha Mason is her name. I met her in Transylvania when travelling around America. How was I to know that her family were cursed? It was only after I married her and brought her back to England that she transformed. Silver bullets are no longer being made and nothing else can kill her. What was I to do, set her loose on the world? I have tried to keep her contained in the attic, one with no windows so the moonlight cannot reach her, but somehow, she still manages to break free. I always go to find her when I hear about the murders, she’s never too far, and Pilot aids me in tracking her down. I did all I could to keep her under control, far more murders would have been committed if it wasn’t for me.’ ‘None would have been committed if you had reported the beast to the authorities, sir -’ ‘And have the news spread that I was married…that I am still married to such a creature? I would be ruined. My life would be over.’ Could this truly be so? Such a monster living over my head all these months? But he assured me that it was only my imagination, all those howls and screams, they weren’t a dream, they were real. I threw down the flowers I had gripped so tightly and ran past the men, out of the church. Mr Rochester called out after me, ‘Jane! No, don’t! It’s too dangerous. Jane!’ I ignored him and kept running. Rain battered at my face and mud splattered my beautiful, white wedding dress. I had to see her, his wife, this monster. I mounted the staircase, where I grabbed one of Mr Rochester’s guns he had on display, passed up the gallery, and proceeded to the third storey. Grace Poole stood guarding the door and started when I appeared. I pointed the gun at her and ordered her to let me in. She did so with little hesitation, her eyes locked on mine. I heard the men arrive at the house and start to ascend the stairs. I entered the room and locked the door behind me. In the deep shade, at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. I wasn’t sure of its form, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight, tell: it grovelled, seemingly, on all fours; it snatched and growled. It was covered in ripped clothing, shredded from its body, and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair, wild as a mane, hid its head and face. This was the creature, the monster, the present wife of Mr Rochester.