Hillbilly Creeper Tales The Tale In The Dark

the Showman's guilt

I lay here on my deathbed, reflecting back on the days of my success and my greed. Thinking of the decisions I have made for myself, my family and the new family I had created along the way. I was known for my charm and other things. But there is one thing I truly regret most of all.

It was back when I was a young man starting out with a business of curiosity and wonder. Something that the world will grow to love in time but for now, they despised some of us even me for display lighting people with more than unusual abilities. I like to call them unique Curiosities. My other fami,ly they were my lifeblood my financial resources but I grew to love them either way.

Enough about them now is the time to get to why I'm really writing this down the mistakes I mentioned before. I was in my early 30s or 40s when my show was becoming more popular with each customer. And being the man that I am trying to find a new piece to add to my collection of Oddities. I was no stranger to the bazaar at this point. H,e,y when I was sitting at my office tallying up the prophets from last night's show I got a telegram from an unknown person that was telling me they had something that would fit perfectly with what I was providing the customers.

I gathered up my things and got into my carriage and headed across the Countryside to see this rare addition that will be on my show. I got halfway to New Jersey to where I stumbled upon some farmland. And on this land set an old house that was withered with time with dirt covered windows and the shingles on the roof were nearly torn off. As my Carriage daunted closer I noticed an old man standing there at the front of the house and next to him was a cage. And I noticed the cage was moving violently as the carriage parked up front and I started to get out.

I approach the man with a smile on my face and he welcomed me with a hearty handshake and a smile on his face as well I asked him what your name good sir is? He said William sir and I think I have something that you might just be interested in something that no one has ever seen before. My eyes lit up with excitement and I asked him well show me what you have. He slowly walked to this cage and tapped on it a few times.

And believe me when I say this was something truly to behold something that my show never had this thing in this cage was marvelous should I say beautiful even I was a little scared of it. As I looked in the cage right at it glared at me as well with huge bright blue eyes and teeth that were Jagged and sharp. It was almost animal-like in nature but had a childlike innocence to it. As I touch the cage gently the beast lunged at me. I jump back in shock, but somehow, I was laughing.

Not because I came near death but laughing because I knew the audience will love it they would eat it up this thing was the call to all my answers. I looked at William and I asked how much. He looks back at me and said you can have it for nothing I just want that damn thing gone it had caused me more harm than good it had killed all of my livestock and almost killed me if I didn't catch it like I did.

Hearing what he has said I just smiled and shook his hand and loaded the cage onto my carriage headed back to my place of business and wonder. As we got back a few men that I hired to unload the cage had a few mishaps. One of the young man that I had cut his finger on the cage and this manage to make the Beast angry and lunge at the poor boy. But as they say, the show must go on and I told them to clean themselves up when they're done loading the cage inside.

That night because I was in my office sign in a few papers of legal reasons I heard the creature stirring loudly it seemed upset so I had one of my performers to feed it and being the man that I am I forgot to tell them to not get too close to the cage because the creature is violent. It was too late for that once my performer started to feed the monster it managed to reach out and grab the poor soul.

And ripped my performers hand off it started chewing on it eating crunching on every bone in his hand while the poor fellow laid on the ground and pain and agony as blood gushed out through the stump where his hand used to be. I immediately rushed my performer to the hospital or they managed to save him on time but sadly he quits because he didn't want to have anything else to do with that thing.

Heartbroken by this and try to persuade him to stay he refused every offer I could give so I have no choice but to let him go as he wanted. As I headed back to my place of business I passed by a lot of naysayers and Skeptics and people who flat-out hated my show I just smiled and waved pretending they mean nothing to me but in reality, it meant everything to me knowing that people are still close-minded to the possibilities but they won't be for long once they see the new edition.

And I got back I started to make signs to put up around the Beast before the show that way no one else can get hurt. That didn't stop anyone from trying to that night. They looked at it with shock and horror on their faces some with Wonder and curiosity. That's one look that I was always familiar with anyhow they kept on trying to touch the cage trying to startle and anger the Beast each time they did it grew violent and meaner.

No matter how hard I have told them don't touch the Oddity. But they still wouldn't listen and that's when one of the naysayers made a horrible mistake of letting it out. I tried to stop it of course but he was a little too late it had gotten out and started to attack my customers and my performers. One child was terribly injured and his face horribly mutilated and a woman had her arm ripped out of its socket as blood gushed everywhere spewing onto the ground. And the man who had his eyes ripped out well the creature was still on top of him crunching on each eyeball like they were peanuts. I nearly lost my composure after the horrific sight.

And that's when I had to take matters into my own hands and contain the monster fighting it with my own two hands* getting bitten and scratched at each and every time I wrestled with the Beast my struggle came to an end when one of my performers through me a derringer pistol and I pointed it directly into its mouth and pulled the trigger it took a few good shots but I managed to kill it. And toss its lifeless body onto the ground and had it dragged away. And kept it out of sight when the police came that way they wouldn't know what happened here.

And for those who were at my show; judges and politicians, I did everything in my power to pay them a good amount to keep this quiet and keep my reputation the way it is. And continued on with my show as the future kept marching on. As for the creature I had its body stuffed and secrecy that way no one would know the real truth about that night and it sat on a Dusty shelf in my office away from prying eyes. And it was a reminder to me something is too good to be true then it is because you might just get more than you bargained for. Even though I paid off a lot of people to keep this a secret and to keep their mouth shut it's still waived on my conscience even now when I'm telling you-you may think of this as ramblings of an old dying man but it's not just something I had to confess so I have no regrets it's going to the great beyond.

If you're in Show Business and you are looking for the next big thing make sure you get what you're bargaining for and make sure it's in your control because your actions do come with consequences and a guilty conscience is the one thing money cannot pay off. I am tired now and growing weaker before I go I just have one last thing to say. Always reach for fame, just don't do it the way I did!

  - Phineas T Barnum