Dina kept the young monster in the cellar.
On bad days, Dina beat it — scared it with its own reflection.
On good days, Dina forgot all about it, and it would dream of being saved by others like it.
It was humans that found it — placed it into a human home.
“I’m a beautiful girl,” the foster mother made it say to its grotesque face in the mirror.
Just let me be a monster, it’d think.
One day, the child peered in the reflection and the monster fell away.
What remained was the beautiful girl she’d always been.
