Dear Diary.

Saturday, September 3rd 1952, Fräulein Elsas Cabinet Of Curiosities. Chapter 3.

Dear Diary,

It was a Saturday, the 3rd of September, when the world I had known was forever doomed. I knew I was about to enter the gates of hell, but like the inescapable pull of gravity, there was noting I could do about it.

Bette and I made our break from the secure ward just after dusk, while the night guard was away. Bette was reluctant to leave at first, but after some persuasion I was able to coax her out. It was a hard and treacherous journey home, but we managed to stumble our way back under the guise of darkness.

Unfortunately, we had only begun to pack when I heard a familiar voice from behind us; Elsa's. She had come to visit us, but found the hospital staff were dumbfounded as to where we had disappeared to in the dead of night. She knew this would be the first place we would go.

My God, that woman should be a private investigator, the way she cracked Bette was astonishing. Better than the police anyway. Elsa figured out what had happened to mother, but swore she wouldn't say a thing if we came with her, as long as we agreed to be paraded around her freak show; "Fräulein Elsa's Cabinet Of Curiosities" like some piece of meat.

I knew all along she had an ulterior motive, I knew she was hiding some big plan. She didn't care about us, contrary to Bette's belief. She just wants the fame and fortune she'll receive from exploiting us.

This place is the definition of misery. Everywhere I look someone is either passed out drunk or getting there. I don't blame them, having to spend their whole lives broadcasting their shame for the amusement and applause of the crowd, who don't see the freaks as anything else but some inanimate object to gawk at. I fear this is what will become of Bette and I in the foreseeable future.

My soul plumbs to new depths of despair. I long for the quiet of the farm, the warmth of my bed, the smell of flowers outside my window. I'm surrounded by a cesspool of activity. No words can do justice to the depravity the permeates the grounds.

A creature they call "Meep The Geek" chews off the heads of living things for sport and amusement, darkening further the edges of my nightmares. Though even in the darkness of night the promise of dawn beckons. Perhaps worst of all is a bearded lady named Ethel, who serves as Elsa's henchwoman, the Sasquatch champion of law and order in this hellish sty. You heard me right diary. A lady with a beard.

I need to find a way out of this place before it consumes me. It's too late for Bette, it'll be tough to bring her back to my side, the right side, but not entirely impossible.

~Dot Tattler.

Dear Diary,

It was the glorious 3rd of September when I was finally freed from the shadows. The future had never seemed brighter.

I have seen my future, it is pink and wrapped in silk. I never thought my escape from darkness could be so complete. I found myself in the middle of a movie star's palace. Elsa's tent is the epitome of glamour. There is only one law here; the bigger the star, the bigger the tent.

For the first time in my life I dare to imagine my self surrounded by beauty.

There is a warm, welcoming feeling in the air, a sense of community. That's something we've never felt before. I finally feel I belong and that I have found my calling. There are people just like Dot and I all around us, not conjoined, but unique and wonderful. Everyone is so kindhearted and compassionate here.

People ranging from all sorts of heights, weights, number of limbs and special talents are now our neighbours.There is even a little man who they call "Meep The Geek" who bites the heads straight off of little chicks for his trick. I have to admit, he is terrifying. I do think I'm going to steer clear of him, I have enough people trying the decapitate me.

For the first time in my life, I feel truly happy.

~Bette Tattler.