please don't let me be misunderstood

Not at all...
I'm usually very stubborn with my analysis, but in this case (after reading your comment) I read the story again twice, maybe even thrice.
I admit, I kind of agree with you. It does have a different essence. Maybe I was just too stuck on the wrong grammar (which, in my mind, was deliberate to make it read more human... of course, I could be wrong). But after reading it again following your comment, I did find it very compelling.
And what you said is kind of brilliant.

You could use this as a stylistic device