Freaks

Dusk was near and it was time to head off to the grand circus. My friend and I thought it would be a great way to get out the house, away from my father. He was a mean cruel man that only cared for himself. After my mom had passed, he became a violent drunk who treated me like a personal maid. Before I left, I made sure that he was passed out on the couch, ‘yea he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.’

I called my best friend Serena and told her that it was okay to pick me up now. She was terrified of my father and wouldn't interact with me unless he wasn’t around. She pulled up in her small white Toyota truck, I quietly grabbed my handbag and opened the door as slowly as I could and tiptoed out. I walked quickly to the truck. As soon as I had sat down she was already speeding off.

It wasn’t very far it was set up in a old abandoned parking lot. It only took about 15 minutes to get there, and we were ready to go in. The street lamps above us were very dim and it was hard to see our way towards the giant purple circus tent with stars on it. The stars looked as if they blended in with the others high up in the sky. There was a smaller tent next to the purple one, it was a miniature circus tent with a midnight black background and glow in the dark green stars on it. If the stars weren't on it I am sure that people wouldn’t be able to see it.


“We should go in there,” pointing at the very black alluring tent I said,

“We can go in there after the big performance.” Serena said with great enthusiasm.

We walked towards the entrance of the larger tent and waltzed in. The distinct smell of peanuts and popcorn filling the air as soon as we walked into the giant tent. It looked like it was a never ending room. The circus music playing nonstop was peaceful in a way.

We walked through the stands of people and came to our seats in the front row, seat 13a and 14a. The seats were a deep blood red colour but were hard as rocks. It was quite difficult to get comfortable in the chair. Suddenly the the music stopped and the navy blue curtains were pulled apart to show a man striding out to the front of the stage with a microphone in hand.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome Tovisar på Freaks!”he said in his deep
scratchy voice.
“First act of the night: Vanessa the aerial artist!”he announced

Out came this very muscular woman, she looked as if her muscles would burst out of her skin,although, in an odd way she was beautiful. She soared through the air on silk strands of cloth, she flew over our heads. At some points we thought she may fall, but gracefully grabbed the soft fabric before she fell causing the crowd in the stands to shriek with fear.

Once her turn on the stage was over act after act came and went through and did their performances such as an four year old that liked to juggle with knives and fire, then a strong man that lifted large items that no normal man could ever lift,animal tamers, a clown parade and many more acts. Though all through out all of these acts all I could think about was that black tent. It was as if it were actually calling out to me saying “You are curious aren’t you come, come in and be greeted with amazement!”


“Hey, Serena um I’ll be right back I need to use the restroom.”

“Yea, sure whatever.”she was too intrigued in watching well built men in their late teens showing off their skills on elephants.

I jogged over to the charcoal tent with great eagerness. I opened the curtains and immediately was hit with a foul smell, that drifted into my nostrils. It was as if something was dying. Although that didn’t stop me from looking around the large but small room. The only lights were small out of date christmas lights that lined the top of the tent, in the dim light I started to look around.

The first thing I saw was this man contained inside of a cage, I started to read the description of why the older african man was placed here.
It said:


The man inside of this inclosure is in here for your own safety for if he was not contained he would without a doubt tear through your skin and bone with little to no effort. For his teeth are not like a normal man, he has teeth of the most indestructible quality on earth ,made of diamonds.

I moved on to the next cage with a young girl with approximately eight arms. What a young girl I thought to myself, for she looked like she could be about six years old. Although on her story plate said that she was once bitten by a black widow and that had caused her to become one herself. She was actually five hundred years old and wouldn't be dying anytime soon.

The putrid smell was getting stronger with every growing step. Geez, you would think that if something would have died they would have found it and thrown it away by now. I then saw this iron barred cage that had a light bulb dangling over the corner of the cage. I looked harder and I could see a hunched over girl in the barely lit corner, with pin straight white blonde hair. Her night gown was white and was torn with gaping holes scattered about. She was beautiful, her face was shadowed by the faded light it was barely visible because of her long hair draping over her face. She looked like a normal girl, why would she be stuck in a cage like this? It didn’t make any sense.

Suddenly she glanced up, just enough to where I could see her eyes. They were a pleading green they were a glassy emerald. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity gazing into her eyes.

She stood up slowly and reached her hand out to me it was freezing she was as cold as ice, I took it and started to look around the room for a way to get her out the imprisonment I let go of her hand in search for something, anything to save the poor girl. I found a crowbar in one of the wooden chests that held the performers instruments. I told her that I would get her out and started to pry open it. She grabbed my arm once again her hair still covering her face and whispered into my ear “Are you sure you want to do this, there may be consequences.” I brushed off the last few words and the iron door finally gave way and swung open.

She grabbed me and pulled me into an tight embrace, the smell was stronger than ever and I could barely breathe. She pulled away and I all I could feel was a wave of a tingling sensation all over my body especially the sides of my mouth and arms. I looked down at my arms and saw my skin starting to peel, it burned, I didn’t understand what happened to me.

I looked up to her and saw her smiling an evil smile.

“W-whats, happening to me?” I asked my voice shaking from fear and confusion.
“I told you there may be consequences ”

She removed her hair from her face, and I saw the most awful image I had ever seen. Around the area of her mouth the skin was peeling off leaving the flesh showing, you could see her teeth that were a brilliant white that made the sight even more gruesome, her gums were bleeding and it looked quite painful.


“Is that what's going to happen to me”

“I told you there may be consequences” I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Why me, why did this have to happen!”

She pushed me into the barred cage and locked the door.


“It looks like you are the one that is locked up now!”
“Wait why did you lock me up?”
“Because people like you put me in here, because I was different and now you will feel my pain for the rest of your life.”

I started to sob and started to realize what was calling me to the tent. It was the girl. She was calling me begging me to free her, so I could take her place. For the first time in my life I found myself calling out for my father, wondering if he or Serena would ever notice that I went missing, would they care at all. I was all by myself in my new solitude.

After she had left I had great time to spare. I started to scope out my surroundings, then it hit me. Everyone else had a bronze plate outside of their cage I am sure she had information on it.
It said:

Mina the “innocent” girl locked away in this cage, is cursed. She was obsessed with herself, vanity meant everything to her. No matter what the cost even the event of someones death on her behalf. At one time her beauty took everything away from her. A sorceress once told her that she had to choose between herself and the life of her mother. She was so vain that she would do whatever it took and sacrificed her own mother for her own selfish reasons. The witch then put an evil curse upon her that made her from far away look completely fine but when really she was a ugly deteriorating girl.When in contact with her she will infect you with the curse that she was given.

Just great my only option to get out of here is to do the exact same thing she did to me. I had to lure someone else in and make them take my place. Then I will find the deceitful girl and put her back where she truly belongs, back in that freak show.