Welcome to the Freak Show
No one noticed the short woman in the trench coat as she skulked around the edges of the tent. She appeared even shorter due to the fact the she hunched over. It was her sad, pathetic attempt to hide the massive hump on her back but it only amplified it. She was not here just to see the freak show; she was here to become a part of it. She was searching for someone who appeared to be in charge of this traveling people zoo.
"Hey, kid!" a man wearing a top hat yelled in her direction. "Do you need some help or somethin'?"
"Uh, no," she quietly replied, keeping her head down.
"Then whaddya want?" the man demanded, appearing in front of her.
She stared at the toes of the shiny black boots in her line of vision as she stared at the ground. She desperately grasped for just a straw of courage to tell the man what she really wanted. He appeared to be the barker and quite possibly the man in charge of the whole thing. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and raised her head to look at the man. He was extremely tall and thin with dark brown skin and a long, thin moustache above thick lips. She couldn't see his eyes because he was wearing dark round sunglasses. His hair hung in dreadlocks down his neck. He was wearing a flashy costume with bright blue pants, a white ruffled dress shirt, and a red sequined vest under a bright red jacket with tails. A smile spread across her face as she gazed at the ridiculous looking man standing before her completely ridding her of timidity and putting her at ease.
"I want to be a part of your show," she said, looking at him with her black, depthless eyes. She pushed a stray lock of her onyx black hair behind her ear.
"Listen, kid, you and everybody else wants to be a part of this show. You don't look like a freak to me. You're a very pretty girl," he stated matter of factly, uneffected by her dark blush as he rambled on. "I don't have time for this right now because the show is about to start. Come see me after the show and I might take the time to see what you have to offer. You're pretty enough to be one of our dancers in the adults only tent over there."
"But I –" she started to protest. She didn't come here to be ogled by men. At least not while stripping and wiggling her hips.
"Heck, I'm feeling generous today. I won't even make you buy a ticket. Go on in and have a seat. Tell the guy over there that Don Kanonji said to let you in. See ya later, kiddo. We'll chat then," he said and was gone in a flash. He moved as fast as he talked.
She tightened her grip on her coat, resuming her bent over position. She walked toward the short, white haired man who looked really angry. When he turned his furious aquamarine eyes on her she swallowed hard. "Excuse me, I was told to come to you by Don Kanonji. He said you would let me in," she told him in a soft, breathy voice.
The annoyed man eyed her suspiciously, looking her over as if she had propositioned him instead of requesting entrance to the show tent. He raised a white eyebrow suddenly wearing an expression of unadulterated boredom. "Yeah, you're pretty enough. I'm sure he sent you over. Go on in," he said, pulling back the flap.
She entered the tent, startled by the odor of sweaty bodies and cigarette smoke that violated her sense of smell. The dank, hot air in the tent made her feel nauseated. She picked a seat right of up front by the stage because she didn't want to miss a thing.
Don Kanonji arrived on the stage, tipping his hat toward her when he laid eyes on her. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am about present to you the parade of freaks. If you have delicate sensibilities or are offended easily I warn you that you should leave now. I have collected some of the rarest, weirdest, and most disgusting oddities from around the world. Here's your last chance to leave folks if you think you might see something disturbing here today. Just remember what is seen cannot be unseen!" he exclaimed, pausing briefly to give people the chance to leave since they've been warned. "Well, then, we've got a house full of brave souls tonight. Let's begin!"
She sat up straight with anticipation as the odd and unusual were presented for everyone to view. Welcome to the Freak Show.
"There you are!" Don Kanonji exclaimed with genuine excitement when she appeared at the front of the show tent where she had first met him. "What's your name, kid?"
"It's Corbeau, sir," she replied politely.
"Not very imaginative is it judging by the color of your hair and eyes," he retorted rather rudely. Corbeau means raven in French. The girl looked like a raven with her shiny black eyes and glossy black hair that resembled feathers from the way it was cut.
"Believe it or not, that's not how I got my name," she said, retaining her death grip on her coat.
"All right, kid, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me."
"Well, it would be easier to show you. It would also prove why I belong here."
"Well, come on then! Might as well show everyone at once," he said, taking her gently by the arm. He pulled her toward a huge tent set part from of all of the others.
Raven stared in wide eyed awe after they entered the tent. This was the performer's tent. More people than she had seen on stage milled about in here. Some were sitting down at tables removing make up. A few had fallen asleep on the ground or on stacked hay bales. Most of the people just walked around chatting and talking with the others as they relaxed after the show.
"Hey people!" Don Kanonji bellowed, his voice carrying throughout the tent. He immediately had everyone's attention. The talking ceased and they all began to gather around with curiosity on their faces. "This is Corbeau. She would like to join our little family. Okay, kid, show us what ya got!"
Corbeau began to second guess her decision to come here. She suddenly felt very shy and embarrassed. Her eyes lit on the white haired man from earlier who had allowed her into the show. He raised an eyebrow at her, giving her something akin to a smile. She forced herself to stand up straight, running her hands through her straight black hair that hung half way down her back. She finally released her tight grip on the trench coat she was wearing, pulling it off her shoulders then allowing it to fall to the ground. Cat calls and wolf whistles broke out through the crowd as she stood before them wearing a short black skirt and black halter top that tied around her neck and waist. The black outfit, hair, and eyes were in stark contrast to her pale almost white skin.
"Is that it?" a female voice yelled which stirred up other voices of protest. "There's nothing unusual about a half-naked woman!" she yelled indignantly, stepping toward the front. Speaking of half-naked, she was wearing nothing but a thin robe that barely covered her H-cup boobs. They were ginormous! Now that was unusual!
"Shut up, Rangiku! Give the kid time!" Kanonji yelled. He saw what they could not see since he was standing behind the woman, and he was fascinated.
A soft whooshing sound then a louder flapping noise was heard as she stretched out a pair of huge birdlike wings behind her that were iridescent black like a raven's. A collective gasp made it sound as if all of the air were being sucked out of the tent. Even among freaks she was a freak. She turned her back to them so everyone could see they were actually growing out of her and not held on by straps.
"You can touch them. They're real wings. They are a part of me so please be careful," she requested as the people gathered around.
It was almost comical to see a tent full of side show freaks staring in bewilderment and wonderment at her. A very short girl, the little person who had appeared in the show, with pink hair appeared in front of her. Corbeau's attention was quickly drawn to the Tall Man who was standing behind her. She looked up, WAY up until she could see his face. He was a walking mountain with a hard craggy face to match with a scar running down the right side from his hairline to his chin. His left eye was covered with an eye patch. His shoulders were probably as wide as the little pink haired girl was tall who stood in front of him.
"Can I touch them? Will it hurt?" the little pink haired woman asked in a childlike voice. "I'm Yachiru and this is Kenny."
"Hi, Yachiru! It won't hurt as long as you don't pull," Corbeau said, smiling as the massive man picked up the girl so she could get a better look at the wings and touch them.
"This is amazing!" a male voice yelled with enthusiasm behind her.
Corbeau yelped in surprise when she felt two big hands pressed against her rear end.
"Oops! Sorry about that! That's not part of the show and tell is it?" he asked, sliding his hands up her back.
Corbeau bit her lower lip as he slid his fingers around the area of her back where the wings sprouted out. He continued to gently probe inquisitively; it tickled when he did that. She could feel his hands sliding down the top of her wing, stopping when he found the joint that enable them to fold behind her. "Hey! Stop that!" she yelled as he grabbed the opposing sides where they folded and moved them back and forth like she was a flying toy.
"Sorry," he apologized gruffly, not letting go.
Corbeau flapped the wing, pulling it out of his grip and smacking him in the face with it. She gasped when he was thrown backwards and fell to the ground hitting hard enough she actually heard it knock the breath out of him.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" It was her turn to apologize as she dropped to her knees by the man flat on his back. She had not seen him in the show but apparently he was the tattooed man because his body was covered by bold black tribal tattoos that even went across his forehead adorning the exaggerated widow's peak of his red hair. She could see they covered his arms, chest, and abdomen since he was shirtless but he was wearing a pair of jeans. Her mind immediately began picturing where else he might be covered with tattoos. His hair was red in the truest since of the word; not auburn, not orange, but red like blood or roses. It fanned out behind his head as he lay on the ground. His narrow, almond shaped eyes with brown pupils gave him a mean, wild look but after experiencing his overzealous childlike curiosity she knew he was anything but. He was definitely feral and untamed looking but not vicious or nasty.
"What's your name?" she asked after gazing at him a socially unacceptable length of time. Social graces seemed to be a non-issue considering who they were and where they were.
"Renji. Renji Abarai," he answered, jumping to his feet. "Do you want to touch me?"
Corbeau felt the heat rise back to her face. He was not shy in the least either. She did not realize she was still staring. Her eyes dropped to the ground as she blushed all over tinting her white skin a lovely pink.
"It's okay. Here," he said, grabbing her hand and placing it against his chest.
Raven felt warm, soft skin stretched over hard defined muscle under her flattened palm. She raised her eyes to look at his smooth hairless chest that was covered with the thick black tribal markings. Her wonderment won out over her discomfort, and she began tracing the marks across his chest with her forefinger. She could feel his eyes concentrating as intently on her as she was on his tattoos. "How long did it take to complete all these?" she inquired, continuing to glide her finger along his flawless golden skin marked only by the ink.
"Years. They were done just a little at the time," he replied, sliding his hand up her arm. He was as interested in her as she was in him and was letting her know.
"Did it hurt?" Her hand flattened on his broad, muscled shoulder as she walked around behind him.
"Sometimes." He wished he could see her. His skin prickled with goose bumps as her gentle fingers slid over his shoulders and down his sides.
"Just how extensive are these tattoos? How much of your body is covered?" she inquired. Her shyness was gone apparently.
"One day I'll show you," he replied suggestively, turning to look at her. He held her face in his hands, staring into her bottomless obsidian eyes. She had the sharp, shiny black eyes like her namesake. He would guess that she saw so many things others didn't with those eyes. "I guess you'll be joining our little family, Raven."
"I suppose so." She had no objections to the nickname. She had been called that before and far worse.
Since he mentioned family, both of them were thinking how nice it would be to start a family of their own together. What would the children look like? That alone would be interesting to see. More freaks for the Freak Show but beautiful ones with red hair and black wings. The tattoos could be added later. Has she finally found a home? Maybe more?
