Normal Kids
"And now for our special report. Theo was so sick, he was told, that he was only allowed to leave the house for very short periods of time. His family told him it was for his own safety. He saw a doctor almost every week, and they would do all sorts of tests. He never completely understood what all the tests were for. Sometimes the tests would make Theo cry; he was afraid of needles and didn't like being poked. He knew that if he cried that his parents would suddenly be where the doctor once stood, offering him pieces of candy.
"This was the routine for much of Theo's childhood. When Theo would ask his parents for a cure, they would reassure him that they were trying, so that they could have a Normal Kid. Theo thought that a cure meant that other kids would accept him, and play games with him. What Theo's parents were looking for was something entirely different. They wanted their son to be Human. To help him prepare for his new life, they brought in child psychology expert, Ms. Brown."
* * *
Ms. Brown was in disbelief when she first got the phone call for a patient that was more animal than Human. Yet, something within her told her to accept the job, and it wasn't the money. The parents explained to Ms. Brown that their child was born with a disease that has transfigured his appearance. He spent his entire life under the shelter of his parents, undergoing constant testing, trying to discover the cause and a cure for his appearance. Ms. Brown understood equality, and it was clear to her that Theo's parents did not.
Ms. Brown treated Theo like a human child from the day she met him in his home. After speaking with Theo and his parents, she assigned the parents a regime of family activities, and versed them in basic child raising.
* * *
"How are you feeling today, Theo?" she asked with a smile that warmed him like a bowl of tomato soup on a cold rainy day.
He smiled back and answered, "I'm feeling great Ms. Brown!" Ms. Brown then asked his parents about what he had been eating, how he had be behaving, and when he cried. Then his parents left, and Ms. Brown sat on the floor with Theo.
"Theo, isn't your birthday coming up?"
"Friday!" he said as he ran around in circles.
"How old are you turning?"
"Eleven."
"Wow, you're growing up so quickly!"
"No!" he laughed. She laughed with him. His parents wouldn't laugh with him, Theo noticed. Maybe thats why he liked Ms. Brown so much.
She dragged a bag from the couch behind her to the floor, and reached in. Theo ran over to look at what she was about to pull out. She often brought treats and games, and they would play and eat junk food while she asked him questions. His parents only let him eat candy when he cried. They sometimes played games with him, even though they didn't like it. Thats because Ms. Brown told them to play games with him. This time however, she pulled the bag away from Theo, and he whined in protest.
She clicked her tongue. "Close your eyes. Its a birthday present."
Theo gasped and squeezed his eyes shut with excitement, to be sure there was no mistaking that he might be peeking. He could sense Ms. Brown near his face, examining his eyes. "Are you peeking?" she teased, and Theo shook his head violently. Ms. Brown laughed and Theo could here the stiff plastic bag ruffle as she reached in and pulled something out.
"Sit down and cross your legs." she ordered. He quickly assumed the position. She lightly placed something in his lap, and before she could utter the word 'Open!', Theo had already opened his eyes.
In his lap was a large plush fox. He frowned when he saw the fox. It was a four-legged fox, like the ones he saw on TV. The four-legged foxes bothered him. He picked up the fox, and examined it, hoping that maybe he was mistaken. Maybe it was actually a fox that stood on two legs, just like him. Unfortunately it wasn't, but on the other side of the fox, 'Theo' had been sewn on in scripty letters with a silky thread that had a sort of luster to it. He froze seeing the inscription. He loosened his grip on the fox, as if it had suddenly become very expensive, irreplaceable.
* * *
Ms. Brown observed Theo's reaction carefully. She remembered Theo saying how seeing Foxes on the nature shows bothered him. It made him want to be with Foxes that looked like him. Foxes that stood on two legs like a human, had fingers like a human, and could speak like a human. Ms. Brown bought a fox doll, with custom lettering.
She hoped that he would realize why he was kept away from other kids- people are afraid of the different, the unknown. She wanted Theo to realize this himself. Ms. Brown had grown attached to Theo, he was a nephew to her. She strongly disagreed with the parents, but never voiced her objections so that she could stay close and protect Theo. She didn't think the tests were going to do any good, and didn't think that Theo was sick.
* * *
He carefully ran a finger over the lettering. He became so entranced with the fox plush that he didn't notice Ms. Brown's hand on his shoulder.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
"I don't want to see the doctors anymore." he said, sounding distant; lost in thought.
Ms. Brown sat down in front of Theo. "Do you like your present?"
Theo hugged it to his chest, and rested his head on it. "He's my new brother!"
"But he has your name." she chuckled.
"Thats because he's my brother!"
Ms. Brown laughed at his logic. She sat silently for a moment, as Theo examined his new friend. He was delicate with his paws as he examined the plush, as if it were an invaluable artifact. Once he became familiar with it, he initiated conversation. In Theo's mind, the fox plush was alive.
* * *
"After years of visits to specialists, hundreds of thousands of dollars in tests, experiments, counseling, special foods, Theo's parents were on the edge of despair. They wouldn't consider conceiving another child without determining the cause of their first child's 'deformation', according to sources familiar with the case. Theo's parents refused to believe doctors when they began to tell them that there was not going to be a cure. Eventually however, doctors refused to test Theo any further. What may have been a turn of good fortune for Theo, ended up being a turn for a life of misery."
* * *
Theo's parents gave him a video game system on his eleventh birthday. His parents told him that he could go online and play with the normal kids. His parents told him that he couldn't tell anyone in his games about his sickness. If he did, he wouldn't be able to play video games ever again. Theo didn't understand why. He only wanted to make friends.
Theo's doctor visits had become less frequent, and Ms. Brown visited less. When Ms. Brown would visit, Theo would rush to the window and watch her come up the sidewalk. His tail would wag eagerly as he waited. On Ms. Browns last visit, Theo's parents ran outside and stopped her on the sidewalk. Theo's parents started to yell at Ms. Brown. The yelling scared Theo, so he got his plush to watch with him. Ms. Brown was sad, Theo could sense it. His dad pointed to Ms. Brown's car as he yelled, until Ms. Brown ran away.
Theo never found out why his parents were mad at Ms. Brown. She was a nice lady, he thought. Theo didn't know why his doctor visits stopped. His parents didn't tell him much anymore. They stopped playing games with him shortly after Ms. Brown stopped visiting. But they let him eat more candy.
* * *
Ms. Brown became worried when she heard that doctors were refusing to treat Theo any further. She had gotten to know Theo's parents very well in her frequent home vists, and imagined them doing very horrible things to Theo in desperation. However, it was too late. It was her next visit that Theo's parents came out and confronted her on the front sidewalk. They insisted that Theo didn't need her help anymore. She disagreed, citing examples from her recent sessions with Theo.
They insisted they couldn't afford to pay her anymore; she offered to do her services for near free. She needed to protect Theo. No matter what she said though, they found some excuse to keep her away. The debate became heated. His father was yelling to her face, demanding that she left, or he would call the police. She wiped a tear from her eye, seeing that there was no changing Theo's parents. She disappeared into her car.
* * *
A few days after Ms. Brown stopped visiting, Theo's parents came home with a camera and pet grooming supplies.
"Get on the bed, Theo." his father instructed as his mother set up the camera on a tripod. He was reluctant, but they threatened to take away his plush. Theo had no options, he couldn't be without his brother. When the camera was set up, his parents attacked him with combs and brushes, carelessly pulling at his fur, yanking out the smallest of knots.
He whimpered at each yank, as the fur was pulled out of the skin by its roots. Then his fur was sprayed with something. It made Theo feel dirty and greasy, but his parents thought it looked wonderful. They ripped the plush from Theo's paws, and soon began to take pictures in quick succession. They instructed Theo to stand, sit, get on his hands and knees, turn his head.
Theo missed Ms. Brown. Sometimes Theo would ask his brother how she was doing, and if she missed him too. He would ask his brother to deliver messages to Ms. Brown, and sometimes Ms. Brown would have his brother give messages to Theo. He would ask Ms. Brown to visit again, but then Ms. Brown wouldn't answer. Theo would tell Ms. Brown that he wanted to get away from his parents, and that they weren't looking for a cure anymore.
One time a lady from the local TV station showed up at Theo's house. She had a camera man with her. Theo's parents let them into the house, they seemed happy to have them visit. They pointed a bright light at Theo, which made it hard for him to see who was behind the light. He hugged his brother tightly to his chest. They asked a lot of questions that the doctors used to ask. Theo wondered if these people knew how to cure him.
"Do you want to be like the normal kids?" asked a voice from behind the light.
"Yes, can you cure me?" he asked, hopeful. His eyes were wide and watery from the bright light. There were giggles from behind the light. What were they laughing at? He was serious, he wanted to be like a normal kid.
"What do you think being a normal kid is like?"
"I want to play outside, in the grass. I don't want to stay inside all the time. I want to play the games I see on TV, like the normal kids." he explained with a tone of desperation.
"The doctors can't cure you, Theo. You won't be able to play with the normal kids."
It broke his heart, and he ran away from the camera and into his bedroom. He cried himself to sleep with his brother at his side.
Theo's parents would take a lot of pictures and videos. Theo never knew what his parents did with these pictures, but soon all of his friends in his online video games knew who he was. Theo would be recognized online, and mocked and teased. Friends he made would pretend to not know him. Theo had to stop playing online, and could no longer talk to humans safely.
Theo had come to a depressing realization that he would never be like a normal kid. He would imagine himself going to a baseball field, and having kids pull on his tail, and ask embarrassing and tiring questions. Questions that he had been asked hundreds of times before. He would imagine being chased with baseballs, as the kids tested his speed. The kids wouldn't play with him because he ran too fast. It was cheating, he would be told. Thats how Theo imagined it now.
* * *
Ms. Brown was horrified when she saw news reports of Theo, asking him invasive questions, humiliating him in front of millions of viewers. He was infamous in a matter of weeks. Everyone wanted to meet Theo. Publicists who wanted him on TV Shows, Movies, Commercials, Zoos, Museums called daily. Even Ms. Brown was victim to intrusive phone calls from strangers looking to get to know Theo.
Something had to be done, she decided. She needed to save Theo from his misery. She knew his parents very well, and devised a plan that she could only hope would work. She picked up the phone and dialed Theo's home.
* * *
There was a phone call, and the father answered.
"Hello, you've reached Theo Entertainment." There was a pause as the caller responded. "This is he, is there a problem?" he asked, sounding worried. "Oh no! I'll be right there!" The father slammed down the phone, grabbed his coat and ran out of the house in a panic.
Theo's heart raced as he heard the car door slam. Time crawled. Theo wondered what would happen if his father forgot him. He would run away. He didn't care where. He had to get away. The car started. Theo's heart jumped again. He was almost free! The car spun tires, squeaking as the father sped away.
Theo grabbed his plush, then a bag. He went into his kitchen and began to throw food into the bag when there was a pounding on the door. Theo froze. Did his father come back? Is it his mother?
"Theo? Theo!" a familiar voice cried from behind the door. The voice calmed him. He recognized it, but couldn't recall what it was. He ran to the window.
"Ms. Brown!" he shouted into the window.
Theo raced to the front door and swung it open. Ms. Brown was quick to grab Theo by the arm and drag him to her car. "Hurry! Get in!"
Theo gripped his brother tightly in his paw as he got into Ms. Brown's car. As they sped off, Theo told Ms. Brown that he had been able to talk to her through his brother. She laughed and cried with Theo. Ms. Brown promised to take Theo far away from his parents, to a place where no one would care how he looked. A place where he could finally be a normal kid.