Noted monster Godzilla died peacefully in his
sleep late last Friday at his home on Alcatraz Island, near San Francisco,
California. He was 453.
Mr. Godzilla was best known for a 1955 episode in Tokyo,
Japan, during which his misunderstood intentions resulted in widespread
destruction and much loss of life. In later years, world opinion changed
as he fought off numerous grotesque threats and on several occasions
saved civilization.
The cause of Mr. Godzilla's death has not yet been
determined, although it is known that in his later years he suffered
from arthritis and scale rot.
Mr. Godzilla was born Frederic Peter Gottszilk in Heidelberg,
Germany on January 11, 1546. The illegitimate son of a stegosaur mother
and a gorgosaur father, he lived an unhappy childhood. Often jeered
at by his playmates because of his ample size and ungainly manner, the
young Godzilla frequently got his back plates stuck in improbable places.
At the age of 20, under pressure from his family to make something of
himself, he boarded a ship bound for the Orient.
Little is known about his life during the ensuing several
hundred years. Documents in the Heidelberg Museum of Reptile History
show that he made his way to a small, unnamed island near Japan. There,
he eked out a subsistence living by farming. There is speculation that
natural radioactivity on the island permeated his crops, resulting in
the deadly radioactive breath-ray he later exhibited.
In 1919, Japanese fishermen landed on the island. It
was their difficulty in pronouncing his surname that resulted in his
being called "Godzilla," a name he accepted good-naturedly, although
in later years close associates called him "Fred."
Mr. Godzilla and the fishermen agreed that for him
to return their visit and voyage to Japan would cause too great a disturbance.
He did, however, arrange through his visitors to acquire news of the
outside world, receiving a shipment of magazines and newspapers about
once a year during the 1920's and 1930's. From these publications, he
developed a keen interest in baseball, especially in the New York (later
San Francisco) Giants, which was to stay with him for the rest of his
life.
In 1943, as the war in the Pacific started to turn
against Japan, a secret delegation was sent to enlist Mr. Godzilla in
the Japanese army. He declined, stating that since Superman was going
to remain neutral, he would, too.
The years immediately following the war marked the
beginning of Mr. Godzilla's reacquaintance with society at large. American
servicemen returning home occasionally stopped on his island, bringing
tales of civilization, especially baseball, that whetted his interest
in venturing abroad. Finally, in 1956, Mr. Godzilla decided to voyage
from his home. He intended to see his favorite baseball team play, but,
evidently confusing the New York Giants with the Yomiuri Giants, he
swam toward the Japanese mainland and soon emerged in Tokyo Harbor.
When he was spotted swimming in the harbor, a panic
ensued, because traffic was already snarled and the presence of a 250-foot-tall
prehistoric reptile could only make the situation worse. The Japanese
armed forces, eager for a victory after the ignominious defeat of World
War II, brought arms to bear in an attempt to drive him away. Mr. Godzilla
misinterpreted the explosions as a celebration in honor of his arrival,
and made his way toward Tokyo City Hall. Unfortunately, he had never
outgrown his childhood clumsiness, and numerous buildings were destroyed.
When he realized his error, Mr. Godzilla reversed direction and headed
back to the harbor. The armed forces insisted on continuing their barrage.
Fearing more innocent bystanders would be hurt, Mr. Godzilla was forced
to unleash his radioactive breath-ray to drive the military away. He
returned to the water, and, knowing pursuit would probably continue
otherwise, feigned his own death. He then returned to his island.
The Japanese government, embarrassed over the affair,
invented a story about Mr. Godzilla being awakened from the ocean floor
by atomic bomb testing. This fabrication was widely believed until Oliver
Stone debunked it in his film The Zill.
Mr. Godzilla kept a low profile for the next several
years, with only a small cadre of friends knowing he was still alive.
But in 1965, an attack on Japan by King Kong resulted in Mr. Godzilla's
return to public life. As the giant ape battered Japan much as he himself
had done in the past, Mr. Godzilla felt it necessary to once more make
the trip to Tokyo. This time, he was greeted as a hero. His defeat of
the simian earned him the everlasting thanks of the Japanese people,
and indeed, the world.
In the ensuing years, Mr. Godzilla ventured forth on
numerous occasions to save his adopted country from destruction. In
1972, he joined forces with Rodan and Mothra to defeat Ghidrah, the
Three-Headed Monster. Later he subdued the Smog Monster, a vaporous
mass of toxic pollution, and engaged in a well-publicized matchup with
basketball superstar Charles Barkley. Mr. Godzilla's final moment in
the sun came in 1985, when he participated in the Godzilla 85 Expo,
which included a reenactment of his original foray into Tokyo for the
benefit of a new generation who were unfamiliar with the original encounter.
While in Tokyo for that event, Mr. Godzilla developed
an interest in cryogenics. He resolved that, when he died, he would
have his body frozen until such time as doctors could cure the cause
of his demise. Realizing that it would be difficult to build a facility
to hold his immense body, he decided that, in keeping with his interest
in baseball, he would buy a stadium and have it converted to a freezing
facility. Knowing that cryogenic research was more advanced in the United
States than in Japan, he journeyed to the U.S., where he spent a year
visiting baseball stadiums and deciding which one best met his needs.
Finally, citing his long-standing enamorment with the
Giants, he settled on Candlestick Park in San Francisco. One factor
in his decision was his discovery that nearby Alcatraz Island resembled
his home in both size and climate. Taking advantage of the huge rewards
he had received from the Japanese government for his feats, the favorable
exchange rate, and the prevailing view of both facilities as white elephants,
Mr. Godzilla purchased the ball park from the city and the island from
the National Parks Service. He immediately set about having Candlestick
Park converted to a long-term cryogenic facility. He also bought the
oil tanker Exxon Valdez, which he then had outfitted as a freezing
unit. In addition, he purchased a number of Air Force Stealth helicopters,
after the top-secret program was scuttled following the collapse of
Soviet communism.
Upon Mr. Godzilla's death, the helicopters carried
his body to the waiting ship, where it was frozen en route to Candlestick
Park. His body was then lifted from the dock into the facility, where
the permanent tank, extending from home plate to the center field wall,
awaited. A spokeswoman has reported that all moves went as planned and
that, "Godzilla is resting now, awaiting his new life in the future."
Mr. Godzilla's enjoyed a long and well-publicized friendship
with actor Raymond Burr, who was working in Tokyo as a journalist in
1956. The two kept up a correspondence which culminated in a reunion
at the Godzilla 85 Expo. It is known that Mr. Godzilla has been disconsolate
since Mr. Burr's death, upon which he stated, "As a fellow size-challenged
person, I realize the tremendous obstacles Raymond had to overcome to
achieve his success." There is conjecture that depression over the loss
of his friend left Mr. Godzilla in a weakened condition.
Mr. Godzilla never married. He is survived by his brother,
Karl, who still lives in Heidelberg.
Public memorials will be held tomorrow at 3:00 P.M.
at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, as well as in Tokyo and Heidelberg.
Mr. Godzilla's associates have requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations
be made to the ASPCA.
This story was published in Tales of the Unanticipated #14, Winter/Spring/Summer
1995. The three cryogenics paragraphs, which were cut for that appearance,
are restored here. Copyright © 1994 Nathan Walpow.
