Creepy Carnivals Are A Good Thing....

Creepy Carnivals Are a Good Thing: My Inspiration for TWITCH

By Thomas Scopel



With performers like the pint-sized midget Tom Thumb, P T Barnum may arguably be the most famous showman in history for having oddities in his world renowned traveling circus. But, he as well as various carnivals and circuses are hardly the only ones; for typically a person need only to seek out the nearest nomadic carnival in order to find similar attractions.

Regardless, these freak type shows are many times over a constant draw and I suspect they always will be. For most people harbor a deep seated interest in the peculiar and this was my curiosity that put me on the road to eventually writing the tale of Twitch.

Some years ago, I found myself at a rinky-dink carnival. This carnival wasn’t anything special by any means and was rather normal. Among other rides, a Ferris wheel, a vast assortment of games offering stuffed prizes to a potential winner, loud bellowing music, cotton candy and a variety of attractions with one advertised as a petrified slug-person. I paid the seventy five cents and thus, allowed to walk beyond the entrance curtain to see it.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement for what I viewed, looked to be a little more than a plastic doll wrapped in medical gauze encased in a clear Plexiglas covered coffin-like box. As I stood meticulously inspecting every inch of detail, many folks would come in, offer a quick glance and leave; usually mentioning something to the effect the attraction wasn’t worth the money they paid to see it. I couldn’t disagree with them. Although, others offered personal theories as to what the slug-like person may be too and it was all the comments as to what got me to thinking about Twitch.

Twitch, in my envisioning, is much like that slug-like creature except he is alive and has feelings. Listening to those mingling folks, I had the sense most of them, had this oddity been alive, would have belittled and injuriously laughed at the attraction’s misfortune. This angered me a bit and really set my mind into deep thought wondering numerous what if’s…

What if this attraction were alive?

Would people abuse?

Would they throw things at it?

Would they laugh and ridicule?

And…

What if this attraction, even without arms and legs, could and would wickedly defend itself against those folks who caused personal harm both physically and mentally?

Well, the story of Twitch was born and created in my head right then and there and this tale lingered in the grey matter ever since. Of course, at the time, I wasn’t a writer nor did I have any intentions of becoming one. I may have been a voracious reader but, after all, I was also a typical teenager and not even faintly concerned with what I wanted to do with my life.

Regardless, the seeds were planted and the inspiration grew. When I finally did entertain writing notions, inevitability was natural and the tale of Twitch made it onto paper.

And so, the tale of Twitch is now a digital novella. It is a tale of deserving retribution and a warning for those who view and treat the unknown with ridicule and pain. For this stubbed limbed, white eye deformed carnival freak attraction is often abused. But, he harbors a dark secret and his retribution is far worse…for people can be so vicious…and so can Twitch…



Twitch is available for download at Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble dot com for only 99 cents. For a chance to win a free copy of TWITCH (digital) along with a signed photo? Simply email winacopyoftwitch@yahoo.com and indicate you read this here on Staying Scared.

If you are the winner, I will request your mailing address for sending the signed photo. And, rest assured, I will not use your address for anything else…I promise.