The boy now was living in my cottage and was no longer afraid of me. I figured that he needed a lot of structure in our daily life. So we would wake up and I would make some breakfast. I would tell him what my plans for the day were. It was usually just chores. The boy would follow me and look at me when I had done different things. After a few days, he also started to mimic me and help me around the house. In the afternoon we would just sit under a tree where I would tell him stories or sing some songs. He smiled for the first time when I told him that clouds look like different things. In the evening, the boy helped me cook. The day would end when I would tell him a bedtime story.
I was sure that the boy was trusting me with every day that went by. As I said, he was following me everywhere I went. Even when I had to use the outhouse, the boy would wait outside. I was sure that the boy liked living here. I will be honest, I was very worried about him. Despite that he seemed content, it was a big change in his life. He suffered so much during his time in captivity. Being treated like a human was so new, that it could be scary! This all meant that the poor boy had to cope with the abuse of his past and try to find his place in the present.
This boy was no ordinary child! I did not even know his name. I could not help but not worry about the child. I had no intention of damaging him more. Since the boy came, he did not talk. I knew that he understood what I said. I just thought things would be much easier if he would speak. One positive thing was when he occasionally smiled. He had a smile that could light the room. Miss Sullivan told me that I worried too much. She thought that the boy would speak and open up when he was ready. The boy needed to know that we would not do anything to harm him. This would be a slow process. We just had to take one day at a time.
I considered what Miss Sullivan told me. This made me tell the boy that we had to have a serious talk.
“There are some things we need to discuss,” I said, “You were treated very badly by that freak show. No child should ever be locked in a cage. Now your here. I admit I am not good with children and have no clue how to raise a boy. This being said, you have not run away. I for one will not send you back to that cage and man. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you want. I want you to feel safe and wanted. It's about time that you experience what a boy is and how a boy should live. You are by no means wild or dangerous. Don't believe in that crap. I will treat you like the boy that you are”
The boy did not say anything. He just pointed toward the food, which meant that he was hungry. This made me laugh and suggest that we had a small snack. As we ate, I was somewhat proud of my little speech to the boy. Now there should be no doubt in his mind that he was welcome here.
I would not send him back to the crazy world of abuse that he experienced. The problem was that could I keep this promise? The Circus director could be looking for the boy. If he found the boy, he would most likely have every legal right to take the boy. Even if that wicked man did not come, then I had a boy that should be in an adoption home. The legal system would think that the boy should have a normal family.
Who in their right mind would think that it would be wise to let any child live with an unmarried man, that was used to living alone and never did like children? In my small speech to the boy, I did not mention this. I figured that he did not need to know. Despite that I was worried, there was nothing to do except take one day at a time.
Miss Sullivan came with a present a few days later. They were new clothes for the boy. She could not resist buying them when she was in town. I wondered why I did not think about this. The boy was in dirty worn-out clothes that should be in a museum. There was a tear in the boy's eyes when he saw the clothes. This was a special moment as it was probably the first time that someone ever gave him a present. Miss Sullivan did not give him the clothes. She said that before he can wear the clothes, he had to look and smell like a child.
This is where the fun started. I warmed up some water and filled an old tub. The boy had no attention to getting into the tub. He started screaming and acting wild again. Miss Sullivan told him that it would not harm him and that everyone needed to have baths. The boy would not listen and he kept his distance from us. This meant that we had a chicken race around the cottage, where I tried to catch him. When I did catch him, I lifted him and threw him in the tub… clothes and all. At first, he did not like it and started splashing water all over the place. Miss Sullivan and I were drenched. The boy noticed this and thought it was fun splashing water on us. We were by now all laughing as we were scrubbing years of dirt off the boy while he was drenching us.
After the bath, he nearly looked like a gentleman but Miss Sullivan was not happy. We spent the next hour or so we cut his long hair. This was no easy feat as it was so long and tangled. The boy looked at every strand of hair that was falling to the ground. I expected some reaction from him as it must have been like him losing part of his identity. Then again, maybe this was part of his identity he wanted to forget. In the end, he had nice and tidy hair. After this and taking a bath, as well as the new clothes, we could see that this boy finally looked like any other boy in the world. He was still way too thin and the experience he had in the freak show stunted his growth, but at least he looked civilized.
Life went on. I now had a boy in my life. I will be honest, I was by now very fond of him. He still did not speak, but his smile was like warm sunshine. I made sure that our days were very structured, so he knew what would happen. He participated in everything. We did daily chores, cooked, cleaned and I would sing songs for him and tell him stories. I was not the only one that was getting fond of him. Miss Sullivan started coming every day. At times she would joke and say we were like a family. In some ways, this was true.
A few weeks went by and the boy suddenly blurted out that his name was David. I tried not to faint when he suddenly started talking. I just told him that it was a relief knowing his name, as I did not like calling him boy. Once he started talking, he would not stop. He talked non-stop and asked so many questions. He was so interested in how things worked and why we had to do chores. I quickly found out that he had a sense of humour. He would tease me about my morning hair or tell me things like that I looked like an old man when I chopped wood. David could also be serious. He wanted to be a doctor and asked me when could he go to school. I was amazed that he had so much ambition and hope. The years being exhibited in a cage did not kill his spirit.
One day when I was working on a story, David asked me if I would be writing his story. Then he told me about his past. He lived in a big city. His father was a soldier and died in some war. When he was young his mother died. He was sent to live with his aunt, who disliked him a lot and often beat him for nothing. Then the circus director came and pretended that he was a tradesman and wanted me to be his apprentice. His aunt must have known that there was something wrong as David was too young. His aunt accepted the money that the circus director offered her for her troubles.
Then David’s life as a wild boy started. He was not allowed to talk and no one would know about his background. They would think that he was a wild jungle boy. David was afraid of the circus director and his cane. He was afraid every time people would come and look at him. As time went by, David looked more and more savage. He was hardly washed and his hair was never cut. People would jeer at him when they saw him and throw things at him. They did not see David as a scared boy, they just saw him as some uncivilized animal. Life in the cage was not fun. David was always hungry and only fed stale bread and water. This was not the worse. Being alone and being treated like an animal was the worse. The only thing that saved him from sanity was that he knew that someday he would escape.
I told David that if he wanted me to, I could write his story. David was not only excited about this, but it was important for him that the world knew that wicked people like the circus director appeared. He wanted the world to know that any abuse of a child should never be allowed.
The happiness I had with David was short-lived. The circus director appeared one day when we were cutting wood. He pretended to be nice and thanked me for finding David. He wanted David to come with him. David refused and clung to me begging me not to hand him over. Of course, I would not do this. I told the circus director he would never lock David in any cage again. I even considered taking this to the police, as there must be some laws against locking a child up. It looked as if the circus director was going to use force. I lifted my axe and warned him to get off my property. The circus director told me that this was not over.
When he want, David was acting crazy. He was screaming and shouting. He was pacing back and forth while pulling out his hair. I tried to comfort him by telling him that nothing bad would happen. David did not believe me. I did not believe myself. It was not legal for David to stay here. I had no say in the matter. For some twisted reason, the circus director most likely had custody of the child.
I did not know what to do. David was now scared and sat in a corner all day. The only thing he would say was how happy he was to be here and wondered if could save him. I has no answer as I was sure the circus director would do anything to get the boy back again.
Miss Sullivan was also worried. She told me that there was only one solution. I had to be his legal guardian. I would have to go to court to do this. This was the best solution, but it was not just me that would have to want it.
When I asked David if he would like me to adopt him, he was very happy. He would finally have a dad. This seemed to cheer him up somewhat. I was relieved that he did read my thoughts. Adopting him would not be so easy. I would have to convince the court that I was better than the circus director and his aunt. When I told David this, he didn’t seem to mind. He told me that anyone could see that I was the best father.
The day came when we sat in the courtroom. The circus director was also there.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
