#Beginnings

1914 Once again the thunder echoed through the night, the whole cabin seemed to shake, as if trembling before the might of the storm, only this time a pitiful scream answered the thunder, seeming to offer a direct challenge to the storm's supremacy. Inside the cabin another scream rent the air, only subsiding as the contraction diminished. The woman on the bed seemed to glow as the light from the candles flickered across the sweat beads on her brow, from deep within she felt the onset of another contraction. The midwife mopped the woman's forehead, in the corner of the room the two men conversed. "What's wrong Doctor, it shouldn't be taking this long?"
"Conrad, the baby's all wrong, it's lying in the wrong position, if we don't decide on a course of action soon, she is going to die, I can do the Caesarian, she will survive, but the child might die, if we leave it to nature, both will die."
"Do it, please...save them both"
Another scream pierced the air, four minutes to the second later, a pair of bloody hands plucked a small pink bundle from a gaping abdominal wound. The cry from the newly born child, although wrenching to listen to, seemed to fill all present with a sense of relief.

Later
The midwife cleaned, the gaping abdominal wound now just a criss cross blemish on the woman's stomach, the child, cleaned and blanketed, wrapped in his mother's arms, contented by breast feeding, asleep.
"Conrad? you must accept the fact that the damage done to her insides makes it impossible for her to have anymore children, ..............cherish him Conrad, he'll be your only child"

1918
"So explain it again please Doctor, my boy is Achondrap... "
"Achondroplegic Eunice, he is never going to grow more than a few inches than he is now," .........the child played, choosing to ignore the heated discussion going on a few feet away from him, if there was one thing Eugene Judd had learnt in the last year, it was to ignore loud and heated discussions.

Later
He rolled off, spent, their passion had bypassed the difficulties, but now having almost, but not quite recaptured the times when nothing else mattered, but Eunice, Conrad Judd thought. ...Eunice, unable to sleep herself, turned to face him. "Its not his fault, he loves you, have you seen him in the mornings, just waiting for a word from you, one word Conrad, just one word and he'd follow you like a faithful dog, he wants you to love him, that's all."
"I love him Eunice, with all my heart, but he's not complete, my real son would help me in the yard, would feed the chickens, would be complete, he's a dwarf Eunice, he would be better off at the carnival"
"Eugene can feed chickens, he can help in the yard, but he cannot be treated as an imbecile, he has a mind and he is a person, ...........see past his limitations, .....If a dwarf is all you see Conrad, if that's all your son is to you, then you've lost who the real Eugene is and you've lost me.

1920
Eunice sobbed, quietly, the doctor's words echoing in her head, "That lump you found in your breast it's... Cancerous, I wish I could tell you different, I wish it was just an innocent lump, but it's more than that."
"What about my Eugene, who's going to take care of my child."

"Freak", Eugene Judd turned, at three foot six, he was towered over by the rest of the class. "Carnival Boy", Eugene read the last words coming from Billy Robins lips, Eugene wanted them to realize he was a normal person, ...his hopes falling on ignorant ears, once again he went home with bruises.
Through the door she saw him, diminutive in his stature, but proud in his walk.
"Mom, I didn't ask to be small",
"Eugene, when I was young and the kids at school rode me, your grandma would say, it does not matter, what others think of you, it's what you think of yourself that matters. Whatever you do, remember that your father and I love you, I know he's gone, but he does love you".

Later
Eugene sat with his mother, the room was fresh, tainted with the smell of lavender, a sound seemed to form in his head, at six years old, it had no meaning, the sound was the death rattle, the last struggle against death a living person can make, ...his mother lost. The doctor entered the room,
"Eugene, you've got to come with me, your Mom will be fine."