The Skudgler is a common appearance for those who are sighted as they lurk in every household. They start off tiny, like the small tasks we put off, but will quickly grow to become troublesome presences.
In a way, the Skudgler are the opposite of an Occulartyl. They grow stronger as inattention seeps into a house as small jobs pile up. Often, the first sign is soap scum on your shower door - mostly due to its habit of eating soap and cleaning products. Other signs include small build ups of mold, unemptied bins and other odd jobs that never seem to get finished. The Skudgler truly feeds on procrastination.
As it grows, it will put your house into further disarray. I have seen them use their long tentacles and writhing head fronds to create small messes. They tuck objects under rugs, make small spillages and other ignorable mess.
Unlike most monsters, they are aware most cannot see them. They use this ability to soothe inhabitants to cause further idleness. It has discovered our penchant for technology and adapted quickly. Televisions will turn on suddenly, phones will vibrate or turn on and its latest trick is helping people scroll through social media sites with its tendrils. As a seasoned monster seeker, I deliberately succumbed to the influence of a Skudgler.
As well as small tasks piling up, I felt a physiological change as I became less motivated to perform research and everything seemed too difficult. I almost put off writing this book forever and just wanted to stare at reels on my phone.
It was only due to my expert knowledge and the help of a passing Occulartyl, that I was able to break free of its thrall.
However, this experience taught me a valuable lesson in that I must always strive to take care of the little things in life. Little things have a habit of adding up to create big things that can appear insurmountable. Each put off task tightened the Skudgler’s grip on me making my bid for freedom all the more difficult.
I also learned, it is okay to ask for help when tasks start to mount up. I was lucky to have an Occulartyl nearby, but friends and family can be leaned on whenever I need assistance breaking through the wall of procrastination.
Most importantly, I learned is important not to put off to tomorrow what can be done today.