STORY TELLER

Here is a story we call...

"THE LOBSTERMAN'!

   It was a warm spring day, when Ricky's father called him in from playing baseball. As he came in and sat down, Ricky wondered what was wrong. From the frown on his father's face, it was something serious.
"Son, we just got a call from your teacher. She says there was some trouble in school today. Want to tell me about it?"
"Trouble?" Ricky asked, genuinely surprised. What had he done wrong?
"She says you and some other boys made fun of another boy who was physically challenged."
Ah, yes. Ricky remembered. He had.
"Well, is it true son?"
Ricky looked at the floor and nodded his head. He had made fun of him. He didn't want to. He knew it was wrong. But still, he had.
His father seemed to grow angrier. Ricky was afraid.
"Son, you know what you did wasn't right. Our God teaches us to love everyone, especially crippled people. They can't help the way they are. So you know what kind of punishment you'll get? None."
Ricky's head shot up and his mouth dropped open in surprise.
"I-I'm not?"

"Nope. Instead I thought we should take a trip to the circus tomorrow. There's someone there I think you should meet"
The circus! Ricky loved the circus! All the clowns and wagons, and animals and the sweet smell of cotton candy and Carmel apples. Ricky went to sleep that night excited and dreamed about being a lion tamer.

The next morning he was up early and ready to go. He was almost beside himself in the car. Lucky it was a short trip.

The circus was more than Ricky had ever seen before. They had elephants and seal that could do tricks. They had bright red circus wagons, lion tamer cages and even a giant slide!
Ricky had a blast! Toward the end of the day it was getting dark, and Ricky was wondering what his dad meant when he said there was someone here he wanted Ricky to meet.
His mom and dad walked in front of him holding hands and laughing. Then, suddenly they stopped right in front of a sign that read: THE FREAK SHOW. Meet the tattoo man, the rubber woman, the wolf man and others!
Dad was taking them to the freak show? Ricky felt his stomach do a back flip. He really, really didn't want to see this. These people weren't just weird. They were scary!
He sat with his parents and watched the show half fascinated and half sick to his stomach. Finally the last act.
"Now introducing...The Lobster Man!"
Ricky gasped and turned green. This man had deformed fingers that grew together as only two fingers and then they curved together like pincers on a lobster. Suddenly Ricky couldn't look. Suddenly it got worse.
The lobsterman called for all the children to come forward and sit in front of him.
Ricky didn't want to go
"Hello children," he said very gently,” I am the Lobster Man. My real name is Bill. I was born with this birth defect that made my hands look like a lobster. I want each of you to know something. I am not a monster. I am not a zero, loser fake or freak. In fact, I am just like you."
Ricky peeked at the hands of the Lobster Man and then at his own. He doesn’t look like me.
"Yes,” continued the Lobster Man,” just like you. Maybe not physically, but did you know I have feelings? I laugh, I cry, I love, and I hurt, just like all of you. Did you also know I hated it when the other kids made fun of me in school, simply because God made me a little different?"
Oh. Now Ricky got it. He felt the same as that boy he had teased at school.
"Now though, I want each of you to come here and feel my hands."
Ricky stared in unbelief as the monster pointed right at him!
"How about you first? Said the Lobster Man.

Ricky stood up slowly, and walked toward the man. Slowly, hesitantly he reached out a hand and touched the monster! His hand was...soft. And warm.
"You can touch then better than that,” the man said,” I don't bite."
Slowly Ricky's hands traced that of the man. Over the palms and the backs, and then tracing the grown together, curved fingers. When he dared to look at the man, he was smiling.
"See? I'm human too. You don't need to be afraid of people like me...people with disabilities."
Ricky nodded at him.
When he arrived at school on Monday, Ricky looked all over for the boy he had made fun of. He found him in the library. Rick sat across from him and apologized. Then he asked the boy his name.

"My name?" asked the boy. "Bill. My name is Bill.


THE END"