wild Wild Boy

David

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.