Prologue: The Momster

The prologue begins with a shattering cry from Ethan Gilsdorf’s sickly mother, known only to him and his siblings as the “Momster.” It was the summer of 1979 and Gilsdorf was twelve years old. He describes his once caring, loving, and nurturing mother as being the Kitchen Dragon, with smoke spewing from her nostrils as she chases him with her prying questions. His old mom, as he calls her, had left the family the year before, when an aneurysm damaged the right side of her brain. Her brain was scrambled and her spontaneous seizures scared her then young children. With no father or husband to help control the collateral damage, Gilsdorf, his sister Jess, and his brother Adam were left to take care of their incapacitated mother on their own. He was stuck with a mother who he didn’t know how to love. His struggles at home were muted when a new neighbor introduced him to Dungeons and Dragons. Gilsdorf was able to forget about his home life and the horrible situation surrounding him while he fought monsters and saved kingdoms. From the minute he began playing, he was hooked.

By Helen Schmidt