Life as an exhibit.

As someone who takes pride in being ugly, I always thought of how my life would have been had I been a freak during the time when freak shows were still a thing.

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If I had been born only three decades later I would have had a supposedly normal job. I could even have had kids. And a house in the suburbs with a dog and a lawn. But no, people of my kind don't have homes. Well we do have homes but ours are always on the move. Its for the best. I mean who would want to stay in the same place all their lives?

Our work is our life. And no I'm not saying that I'm some sorta workaholic. It's just that there aint much difference between what I am, and what my work is. I love it. Who would want a horrible boss and the responsibility of going to college? My boss knows that I can't be replaced. That's why they treat us well.

We don't marry much either and even then its only of our kind. Not that we would want to cross marry anyway. You normies won't understand who we are. Your parents would freak out when you bring us home. Ya , that's right. FREAK.

Any idea as to who I might be? I am Walter Whitham otherwise known as Walt the Wolf Boy. Except I'm an adult now, so they should probably change the name. But its been there for decades, so why change that what bring in money? Anyways it been ages since I worked at the circus. It's all gone now along with my dignity. Yes my dignity. Wanna know how? let me begin.

I was born like you normies. I was no difficult birth or nothing. My parents were immigrants from Ireland who came over at the start of the 20th century to the land of the free, or so they called it. There wasn't much difference between the old country and the new, my mam would tell her. The rich owned everything. There were even rumors of people like the Vandebilts and the Rockfellers who had so much money they dove into it. Me Da would say that this was a new country, a new chance for ourselves. Both they both agreed on one thing- Everyone hated the Irish.

I was born in 1905, in Hells' Kitchen, Manhattan. Like I said, I was a normal pregnancy, normal birth. The doctors said so anyway. I was born into a small family for that time- just me , my older brother and sister and my parents.

It was much later when I was old enough to be made to leave school that I realised something was different. In my generation they didn't care if you stayed in school. You could just leave illiterate and still find work. So when my parents told me that I needed to start working in the factory to support my family, I was very happy. School was a waste of time anyway. They beat you if you even looked out of the window. I was 14 and could read and write and count and do other things.

When I started at my first day at the factory, it was very smelly. Like a million rats had died and were being tanned. Maybe they actually were I chuckled to myself. It would probably be not allowed today, but there was like a hundred of us, all struggling to make parts for this new machine called a car. I had to idea what it was, but it was paying me well. My parents were proud of my first pay check and immediately took it to pay the rent. I was angry.

I went outside to cool myself down. From my view I could see the Emperor state building being built. It was quite marvelous I thought to myself. I wonder if I could ever have a room there to myself.

I soon got used to my work. I came home smelling and washed it off. Then one day I noticed something strange. I saw that I was more hairier than normal. I could have sworn that I had shaved that morning but it was still there. I thought nothing of it and went to bed. The next day I woke up and saw hair growing all over my face. I shaved it off and moved on.

This continued for some days until it became too much. I had to shave every night only for it for come back more aggressive. I told my parents and they were worried. They were getting older and I was to be the main breadwinner. We couldn't afford no doctor so we tried to hide it.

Then one day Petey Peterson from the factory noticed that I was shaving too much and made a joke about it. I got into a fight with him. I was fired. I was too ashamed to go home to tell my parents anything when suddenly I saw someone looming over me on the pavement. It was a tall guy and he had the hat. The hat that I had seen in posters that belonged to those people- I couldn't remember the name.

He spoke calmly and gently.

"I see you are having a bad day".

I looked up.

I could see his face more clearly now. He looked like he was old stock American, and well dressed. I thought he was someone who might offer me some money or something. Then I saw his whip and recoiled.

"Ah don't worry, young man, these are only to scare the elephants" he replied, putting away his whip.

I had never been to a zoo, as I couldn't afford it, but even I knew about elephants.They were the animals with three humps on their back.

The tall man continued "I saw what happened and that was unfair. A man of your talents shouldn't be made to feel that way"

"Thanks, sir" I replied.

"Remember there is nothing wrong with whats going through with your body".

I was taken aback and on my defense. Did he know something that I didn't?

It looked as if he could read my mind.

"There are some of us who are born different and society doesn't allow them to have normal jobs. But I say screw them all. To be different is to be gifted. I offer employment to a variety of lets say different people. You can get board and logging and get to travel all over North America".

"Who are you? I asked him.

There was a smile on his face. He opened his mouth and began to say:

"My name is Robert Ripley-I am a collector of oddities and a share holder in the Ringling circus set up by the late great PT Bartum".

Suddenly it dawned on me what he was saying.

"Am I a freak?" I asked sadly, and with a dash of anger.

Robert looked back and me and said "Yes you are, and a mighty good one too"

My eyes filled with tears.

Robert was sympathetic but also summarized- "You just take pride in being one, People from all over the country, even the world will flock to have a look at you. You will be famous. You will be rich.You will meet people who are in the same boat as you. You can live a life free of where people judge you for being different, but admire you for being so!"

I thought about it for a minute. I told him to wait for me. I ran up to my flat and grabbed my things. I told my family that I had found employment on the railroad and will be back in a a few months.I will send over part of my paycheck and before they could reply, I was out of the door.

When I arrived at the compound where the other freaks was staying. I was very pleasantly welcomed.The Siamese twins waved as they saw me set foot inside the collection of trailers. They both waved their hands at the same time, so it was four arms in total. The lobster man said he would shake my hand if he physically could have and then burst out laughing. The snake lady hissed. A lot of them were wondering what my freak act would be as I had shaved earlier that day and looked like you normies. Robert then told them about my furry little problem and they were impressed.

However as I heard, some of the freaks had sad stories. Some of their own parents had got rid of them to the circus. It was for the first time that I saw what the others were happy with their lives. Here they had employment. Here they had a family.

It wasnt just freaks. There were acrobats, and clowns and all sort of things I never knew existed. And for the first time I learnt that elephants don't have three humps when I first saw one. They have hands for noses.

A few days later we were travelling to some other city in New England.I was only given one instruction. To not shave. I could groom myself but that was it. I let my hair grow and grow and soon my whole face and arms were covered in fur.I groomed myself a little to make myself look wolf life. Robert said my stage name was going to be Walt the Wolf Boy. I was excited.

My first show was in some place near Boston. My fellow freaks all had their turns. Then it was mine. I was a new act. I went on and the crowd went silent. I looked at Robert who mimicked howling. I let out a long howl. The crowd went wild. I ran around on all fours and up to the edge of the performing circle where I pretended to bite at the cage. The crowd loved it.

Afterwards I was congratulated by the others on my stellar performance. I was also given my first hefty paycheck. Around $2000 in today's money. I sent some back to my family so as to not worry them along with a note , but was not revealing anything of my new found appearance. They would one day find out and get angry, but eventually accept it.

This went on for months, then years. We would stop in towns and cities and I would pretend to be a werewolf. It was even better during the full moon. The crowd would eat up my performance. I loved my life. I was making five figures in today's money, and had my own caravan.

Till one day, when I returned to New York I saw a protest. At first I thought that it was some political stuff, but then I realized what one of the placard said - "They are not freaks". Another said - "Let them lead human lives, the ones they deserve".

The lobster man was the first to fight back "This is my life, this is my home". But the protesters were paternalistic. They thought that they knew better than we did. Soon they stormed the compound. They took over and beat Robert. The freaks fought back, and with our strength we pushed back the protesters.

Soon, we were taken to court. The judge said that what was happening there was "unconstitutional" or something. Soon he broke up my family. The animals was all sent to zoos and the performers and the freaks had to go get normal jobs. We freaks were all sent to a doctors too. One of the doctors said that my condition was called "hypertrichosis". I couldn't pronounce it, but I could pronounce Wolf Boy. They shaved off all my hair and made me like you normies. I never felt so naked in my life.

I tried to get a normal job but couldn't last a day.My family were happy to see me again. My now I had nephews and nieces. I loved them very much but they were normies. It just wasn't the same. I visited some of my former freaks and realized that they were having worse problems. Some of them were now openly discriminated against. They no longer had the protection of the circus. Within years they were shells of their former self. The Siamese twins were alcoholics. The snake lady has never been seen since, and no one knows what happened to her. The Lobster man was found in a pool of his own blood, whether self inflicted or not we'll never know.

The animals weren't faring any better. I visited them in zoos and saw how the elephants hated being in one place. One of them put her trunk around me when she saw me, before the zoo keeper told me off.

The performers were the only ones who had any luck. They got jobs in some place called Hollywood.

As for Robert, he was in jail. I often visited him and he was a mess. "I only wanted to showcase the wonders of the human species", he sobbed. One day he gave me the money that he owed us with some extra on top. He told me to seek the other freaks and distribute it among ourselves.

I did.

What was left of us had enough money to buy a house and live a half life. We went our separate ways. I don't think I have ever cried in my life till then.

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So here I am, shaving everyday and living a cursed life. I hope you are happy with what you've done you patronizing self serving do gooders.