Monthly Archives: July 2022

Summer of Monsters: Dragon

Posted on July 31, 2022 by maradanto

Dear Summer of Monsters: My husband and I woke on a recent weeknight to the sound of something running around in our attic. I was annoyed at first, because I thought squirrels had got in, but a moment later a … Continue reading →

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Summer of Monsters: Lones

Posted on July 20, 2022 by maradanto

They may be some of the deadliest, most overlooked monsters that prey upon humans. Lones are a kind of psycho-emotional vampires that reproduce by attaching themselves to a human host and slowly transforming the victim into one of their own … Continue reading →

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Summer of Monsters: Kentucky

Posted on July 18, 2022 by maradanto

People think of monsters as things, as entities such as ghouls, subterranean octopuses or Ted Cruz. This is correct but limited. A monster also can be a place: a vicious bar, an unsavory street corner and in some cases even … Continue reading →

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‘Narsh’

Posted on July 16, 2022 by maradanto

I was just catching steam on my report for work, when my daughter shoved a sheet of paper in my face. It was a new picture of Narsh, a goblin she’d invented a few weeks ago after watching “Labyrinth” with … Continue reading →

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Summer of Monsters: Leprechaun

Posted on July 16, 2022 by maradanto

Once found only in the green hills of Ireland, leprechauns experienced a diaspora with the Irish potato famine in 1845. Leprechauns are particularly famous for their bad financial decisions. Years ago industrialist Andrew Carnegie offered to help the leprechauns avoid … Continue reading →

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Summer of monsters: Bean nighe

Posted on July 14, 2022 by maradanto

Dirty laundry should never be a life-or-death situation. But that’s what happened in East Brunswick, N.J., when one mom-and-pop laundry decided at the dawn of the 20th century was being overwhelmed with laundry to clean. In an effort to meet … Continue reading →

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David and Bathsheba, and Nathan

Posted on July 13, 2022 by maradanto

It’s David and Bathsheba season right now. The church goes through this so regularly it’s almost a part of the liturgical calendar. On the one side are voices that cast Bathsheba as a vile seductress, bathing at night in the … Continue reading →

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Summer of Monsters: Teju Jagua

Posted on July 13, 2022 by maradanto

Not all monsters have the personality to go with their horrifying appearances. Take Teju Jagua, for example. Native to Paraguay, Teju Jagua is a lizard with the head of a dog and eyes that can throw flames. In that regard … Continue reading →

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The Road to Zion

Posted on July 10, 2022 by maradanto

Sometimes you’re on the way to Zion, and it feels like you’re on an adventure of such stuff as dreams are made of. Your guide takes you from one wonder to the next, further up and further in, circling ever … Continue reading →

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Child of Shelob

Posted on July 8, 2022 by maradanto

One of the household spiders got up to mischief while my youngest and I were out at dinner tonight. We were gone about an hour. During that time, the spider dropped a line from the ceiling fan to the table, … Continue reading →

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