Man Made Boy Read Online Free

over it pretty quick actually.”
    “It’s as I suspected. When a human looks at you, they just think that you’re an injured human. Unpleasant, but not intrinsically dangerous. In fact, you’re more likely to elicit pity than fear.”
    “Pity? Why?”
    “That’s how humans generally react to those of their kind who are deformed, maimed, or profoundly ugly.”
    “I’m…ugly?”
    “To a human.” He said it like it hardly mattered what humans thought. But it mattered to me what that girl thought.
    “Do humans think
you’re
ugly?”
    “No, they generally find me attractive.”
    “But that girl seemed even more freaked out by you than she was by me.”
    “When humans look at me, they get a feeling that they don’t often have. They feel like prey.”
    “And they’re attracted to you, anyway?”
    “Humans are funny little things.”
    “They don’t have a lot of predators, do they?”
    “No,” said Ruthven. “And our theater houses most of them.”
    “That’s why we have to hide from them?”
    “For now.”
    “What does that mean?”
    But Ruthven didn’t reply.

    WE WALKED THROUGH midtown. Once we got out of Times Square, there were fewer people and a lot fewer ads. It was nice, being out there in the fresh air, with the wind blowing through my hair. It felt like I could just keep walking forever and never come to a dead end. I knew that wasn’t true, of course. Manhattan is an island after all. Still, it was nice to think about.
    Eventually, we came to a little pet shop on a quiet side street. There were three kittens in the front window of the store. Two of them wrestled, playfully showing tiny fangs. I had never seen kittens up close before. They were so cute and fragile, I was afraid to go near them.
    Ruthven stopped in front of the door. “When we’re in this store, please allow me to do the talking.”
    “No stories about threshers,” I said.
    “Precisely.”
    The store was crammed with brightly colored pet supplies like leashes, collars, and chew toys.
    “Hey, Ruthven!” an older human male behind the cash register boomed in a jolly voice. He had a big belly and his thin, black hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
    “Ah, Carmine.” Ruthven walked over to the register. “So good to see you.”
    “The usual?” asked Carmine.
    “If you please.” Then Ruthven gestured to me. “Carmine, this is my nephew, Frank.”
    Carmine paused for a moment when he saw me, like he was acknowledging that I looked different. Ugly, I guess. But it didn’treally rattle him like it did the girl. I wondered what the difference was.
    Then he smiled. “Good to meet you, kid. Learning the ropes from your uncle?”
    “Uh, yeah,” I said.
    “No business like show business, huh?”
    “It’s pretty cool.”
    Carmine turned back to Ruthven. “Give me a second, I got it in the back.” He disappeared through a doorway behind the counter for a moment, then came back out with a large box. The top of the box was peppered with air holes, and I could hear tiny nails scratching the inside.
    “So, hey.” Carmine carefully set the box on the counter. “I wanted to ask a favor.”
    “Of course,” said Ruthven.
    “My cousin is visiting from Florida in a few weeks and he wants to take his wife to see your show.”
    “It would be my pleasure. Just name the date and I’ll take care of the rest.”
    “Much obliged.”
    “And when are you bringing the missus to The Show?” asked Ruthven with a gently teasing smile on his face.
    “One of these days, Ruthven. You’re not closing anytime soon, are you?”
    “It’s still very much an open-ended run.”
    “Yeah, see, I just assume it’ll always be there, so I never go. I should have learned my lesson when I missed
Cats
, but there you go.”
    “Indeed. Well, the invitation is always open.” Ruthven handed him a couple of fifty-dollar bills, then gestured for me to pick up the box. “Take care, Carmine.”
    As we walked back to the theater, I held the bag of