Born of Man and Woman

 Given the nature of evil in our world, the monsters among us — with power over us — I sometimes feel rage at the injustice, at the horrors that beset us. I understand how, when the law fails, why vigilantes arise.

Batman is damaged, but effective.

I am reminded of the late, great writer Richard Matheson, and his story, “Born of Man and Woman.” Hereunder, the last paragraph in the tale. This was told from an eight-year-old child’s viewpoint, published in F&SF, July, 1950, Matheson's first fiction sale, written when he was twenty-two years old. Twelve hundred and fifty words that chilled me when I first read them at the age of fourteen, as part of his reprinted collection, Third from the Sun.

“X—This is another time. Father chained me tight. I hurt because he beat me. This time I hit the stick out of his hands and made noise. He went away and his face was white. He ran out of my bed place and locked the door. I am not so glad. All day it is cold in here. The chain comes slow out of the wall. And I have a bad anger with mother and father. I will show them. I will do what I did that once. I will screech and laugh loud. I will run on the walls. Last I will hang head down by all my legs and laugh and drip green all over until they are sorry they didn’t be nice to me. If they try to beat me again I’ll hurt them. I will.”