“I’m fine,” I answered.

  Immediately, I was alarmed as the voice I spoke in wasn’t my own. It sounded neither male nor female and it remained a flat monotone.

  With this answer, a release of steam came from my chest. As the line of hot air expelled from my body, I looked down to see that my form wasn’t painfully twisted and covered in tumors. Instead of being afraid, I felt amazed. I studied my body carefully and saw that it was crafted of iron and metal objects, which had been welded and formed to replicate the human body.

  “Be calm,” he crooned, “don’t be afraid.”

  “What have you done to me?” I asked curiously.

  “Some people are born with beautiful minds, although they have broken bodies. Your purpose is greater than what you have considered, therefore, I gave you a new body.”

  “I don’t understand,” I explained.

  “While you were sleeping, I removed your brain and placed it within a model I built from iron. I have your body nearby. If you are displeased, I will put you back in your old body and resuscitate you.”

  Not caring about what he just said, I asked, “Can I walk?”

  “You can,” he answered.

  He unstrapped me from the table then helped me sit. Instead of feeling pain tighten my twisted spine, I felt nothing. I slid to the edge of the table with the harshness of my body scraping against the slab. Then, I placed my pointed feet on the floor.

  After waiting a moment, I stood. I could have cried if I had the ability. My legs were level with one another. I stepped forward and for the first time in my existence, I didn’t limp. I took another step, feeling overwhelmed that I could progress without falling, staggering, or swaying. Most importantly, there wasn’t any pain when I made these movements.

  “I don’t understand. Why me?”

  “The nights I observed you, I knew you felt alone and hopeless. Although your body was disfigured, I knew your mind was well. With your condition, your life expectancy was a short one due to the tumors and the excess weight constricting your heart. What I did was simply transplant you into a donor so that you may continue to live without complications. You see, you are a breakthrough, not only in scientific history but medical history as well. For others who suffer the same as you, we will eventually learn how to assist them in ways that words, at this moment, can’t even fathom.”

  “Am I alive?”

  “May I?” he inquired while extending a hand to my chest.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  He pulled at a latch located midway on my torso. A click sounded and then he opened a door that had been crafted into the front of my body from my shoulders to my hips. The action reminded me of opening the door of an iron stove. With my front part exposed, I looked down to see that my insides were crafted of gears and clockworks that ticked, cranked, and turned.

  “It is important these are always turning, these keep you ticking, so to speak.”

  In my chest I saw a brass object that looked to be an enlarged replica of a heart. At the bottom of this artificial organ were gears that pumped up and down keeping the clockworks ticking. Sticking from that brass heart were valves that were crafted to protrude only a fraction of an inch past my chest plate. From the valves came a minor puff of steam.

  “Located at the top of your heart is an opening that you must fill twice a day with water. If you fail to do so, you will fall asleep and not wake up until it is refilled. This is extremely important. If the gears stop working, your brain stops working. And, if your brain is inactive for longer than five to ten minutes, you will suffer irreparable brain damage. The mechanics that are attached to your brain are designed to read your brainwaves. Your heart is attached to the mechanics and the hot water within that organ keeps the mechanics running to keep your brain active.”

  I began walking about the room, wondering if I were dreaming since it was weird to live a life without agony.

  Again, he verified, “If you are displeased, I can return your brain to your body. Being this way has its ups and downs. The bright side is you will never feel pain. You have the strength of ten oxen, which will allow you to burst through brick walls if you please. And your speed is equivalent to that of a locomotive.”

  “Can I see my body?” I asked.

  “If you like,” he answered, “I must warn you that the condition of your old body appears ghastly.”

  “I understand,” I answered, “I would like to see please.”

  He guided me to a nearby table that I had noticed before but had yet to comprehend. Hesitantly, I looked down to the work table where a sheet of satin hid my remains.

  “Are you ready?” he inquired.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  Slowly, he reached to the top corner of the satin sheet and pulled the fabric down to my shoulders. The first thing I noticed was the top part of my skull had been cut away and was lying next to my head. Then, I looked to my forehead to see that the area where my brain had rested was empty and stained red. Finally, I acknowledged my face and found peace. Instead of my eyes being wide open in agony or fear they were closed. Instead of there being a snarl of pain on my cleft lips, there was a faint smile. Somehow, I don’t know how or why, but I felt this was right.

  Gingerly, I reached out a metal hand, which looked to be more of a clamp and brushed this shiny new addition against the cheek of my human remains. Then, without a doubt, I accepted my new life. The sacrifices that Mr. Avery said I would have to make were ones I could live with.

  “Can I see what I look like now?”

  “We will have to go upstairs, but yes you may,” he answered.

  We came to the upper level of his house where the common areas were located. I followed him to a full-length mirror in the hall, across from the stairway, and studied myself.

  My head was elegant where the shape was round at the top and pointed at the chin. I lacked any sort of facial features except a set of eyes that appeared to be made of glass. Looking at my reflection, I noticed I was literally nothing more than eyes without a face.

  Attaching my head to my body was a tubular thing that allowed my head to turn left, right, and even all the way around. My body began barrel chested then it trailed off into a V point where my womanhood should be. My arms and legs were made of the same durable material as my neck, which allowed me to squat, walk, and fold my arms. Finally, I looked to my pointed feet and tried desperately to mimic real feet. Although they were big, they were necessary since I now stood seven feet tall.

  My first thought was that I looked like a suit of armor that had received an elegant flair and a futuristic twist. I wanted to smile but realized I didn’t have lips to smile. Still, I smiled from the inside.

  “I want to stay as I am,” I answered at last.

  “I have to warn you, this new life doesn’t come without consequences. You see, you are strong and you have the ability to fight.”

  “I don’t want to fight,” I retaliated.

  “What if you could save lives?”

  I didn’t answer his question, yet I pondered, what if I could save lives?

  “This world is filled with crime, and daily it births new villains and horrors. I’m sure in your life you have met your handful of wrongdoers and the victims they inflict pain upon. What if you had the ability to save those who were being hurt or wronged? What if you had the ability to make the wrong things right in this world and bring justice to those who deserve to be judged? Since you’re indestructible and stronger than any man, I assure you, you have the ability to do whatever it is your heart desires. Your entire life you have been known as a freak, or something without a purpose. Now, you have a chance to prove the world wrong and be a hero. This is an opportunity that no one has ever been granted. You, my dear, will make history.”

  “I don’t know how to fight,” I explained.

  “You will be taught,” he answered.

  And he was right, I did learn. It took me nearly a year to learn, but I did learn. During that training period, I explored my strengths. I pushed over a pecan tree with only minor strain. I outran a midnight train near the depot. I even walked through a fire without receiving any damage.

  Within a year, the circus returned and with it came the memory of how I was treated. I then decided I was ready to fight and I knew instantly what my first mission would be.

  With this decision, I explained to Mr. Avery I would like to rescue my friends that my previous master had treated so hatefully. He noted the mission would be a simple one and would make a good practice run.

  “You have to consider,” he began, “you are a hero, not a villain. Death to anyone should be a final resort when all other options have failed. As far as your friends go, they aren’t hopeless cases. Some can lead normal lives. Others, such as your friends the Pinhead and the Human Worm, are going to need help and I am willing to help all of them.”

  “I will bring them to you,” I offered.

  Before I turned to conquer my first villain, I asked, “What about the animals? He has been as cruel to them as he had been to me.”

  “There are zoos about the parishes here, respectful ones where they can easily be relocated. Release all of the circus animals and they will be recaptured and sent to better facilities.”

  With this explained, I turned and walked away from where Mr. Avery sat in the library reading and enjoying his pipe. I waited till after midnight to begin my journey then I traveled through the swamps, past the alligators and snakes, until I neared the circus that had been constructed on the outskirts of the city.

  When I came to the circus, I paused remembering the night when my parents sold me. Like that night many years ago, the cesspool that brought happiness to The Normals but misery to my friends had a drunken hobo clown sitting outside its main big top. As before, his makeup was smeared and a bottle of half empty spirits was clutched in his right hand.

  I walked into the clearing, allowing the moonlight to shine down upon my armor. The sight of me must have been a horrendous one because the drunken clown jumped to his feet with his mouth gaped open in shock. With his first step, he fell. Momentarily, he scrambled about, attempting to run until he finally received his footing. He ran into the big top tent yelling like the bombastic fool he was.

  As I approached, he cried, “Master, there’s some monster from the swamps comin’ this way!”

  Nearing the tent entrance, I could hear the master yell, “Nonsense you blithering fool! You’re drunk!”

  When I entered the tent, I saw the ringmaster sitting at his card table with a redheaded aerialist sitting on his knee. The aerialist and ringmaster had their attention directed at the hobo clown. They had even laughed at his expense until the clown turned and pointed in the doorway.

  “LOOK! THERE IT IS!”

  The aerialist screamed and the ringmaster jumped up, causing her to fall off his lap. Once she fell to the ground, she scrambled to her feet and ran, not once looking back. The clown stood dumbfounded while the ringmaster fished in his red coat pocket. He brandished a revolver, which he shot at me.

  The first two bullets missed me, but the third hit me in the chest. Instead of penetrating my shell or causing pain, the bullet ricocheted off. I continued walking toward him. His bullets continued to bounce off. Once I neared arm’s length, the hobo clown ran and the ringmaster attempted to run. He would have been successful in his escape if I hadn’t grabbed him by the collar.

  Effortlessly, I pulled him into my clutches. I spun him around, grabbed him by both arms, and raised him above me so that I could look into his face. At last, he was begging me to stop. My mind returned to his cruelty. I thought of all of the times we had begged him to stop and he hadn’t. Suddenly, I wanted to inflict the same degree of pain on him that he had inflicted on all of us.

  My eyes began flickering as an anger within me sparked light. I did not speak words as the master realized he had deserved this by leading an unclean life. Once I had talked myself into harming him, I remembered what Mr. Avery had taught me. His words reminded me while I was trapped in this moment of revenge that I was the hero and not the villain. Instead of pulverizing this pathetic man who begged for his life, I carried him to a neighboring tent where he kept the animals caged.

  I went to the lions’ prison and opened their cage. The poor beasts cowered back into the far corner roaring with mouths that had been defanged and swatting with paws that had been declawed. I stepped aside allowing them to know they were free and that I meant no harm. Swiftly, they ran from their entrapment and exited the tent.

  After the lions were gone, I threw the ringmaster in their cell and slammed the cage shut. I understood he could easily escape by flipping the latch that secured the door. To reassure his imprisonment, I selected an iron bar that was attached to the structure of the doorframe and jerked it free from the upper portion of the cage. Mustering humanly impossible strength, I bent and looped it through the door frame and bars, so that his only means of escape would be in the hands of a professional.

  Now that he was taken care of, I went to the gorilla’s cage. At first, they screamed and jumped about in fear. Once I unlocked their door, they ran forward and disappeared from the tent. Then, I approached the horses that neighed in fear. They bucked up and kicked about until I freed them from the post they were attached to. Once they were unbound, they ran, not looking back. Finally, I continued to the elephants that the ringmaster had beaten with bull hooks. To my surprise, they were the only animals that weren’t afraid of me. When I broke their chains, they didn’t run screaming. Instead, they casually wandered away. Once all the animals were free, I exited the tent to go to where my friends were being held prisoner.

  I walked into the open as clowns, aerialist, contortionists, and trainers ran insanely about. A few men pulled revolvers from their pockets and shot at me, their bullets bouncing off. I walked to my destination undeterred. When I neared the tent where my friends were kept, the circus weightlifter felt brave enough to face me. He appeared stern and determined that I would not get past him. He held in his hands a mallet that no one else had the strength to lift.

  When I was within arm’s reach, he slung the mallet with a blow that would not have only knocked me over but also killed me if I were still human. When the mallet struck against my iron, it made only a small toink sound. His blow didn’t cause me to topple or even budge. I grabbed this man by the arm the way an angered parent would a misbehaving child.

  The weightlifter’s face changed from stern to bulging eyes and a gaped mouth. I easily slung this four-hundred-pound man through the air as if he were discarded tissue. Now that he had been removed, no one else dared to approach me.

  Unencumbered, I walked into the tent where my friends were crying and shaking, not knowing what type of horror was invading the circus. Suddenly, all six cages of people I had loved looked to me in fear and began crying out for help.

  “Don’t be afraid,” I said, “it’s me, Hester.”

  A few, Roberta, Bertha, and Nicholas, stopped panicking and were overcome by shock and awe when I promised, “I’m here to help. Don’t be afraid.”

  “Hester?” Bertha asked in disbelief.

  “It’s me,” I assured her.

  For the ones who grew silent, I ripped their cage doors from the hinges and released them. I allowed them to walk from their prisons unharmed. Once those who were frightened saw I was peaceful, I released Carlos, Penny, and Claudette. When all were free, Nicholas picked up Claudette from the ground while Carlos and Penny clung to Bertha as though she were their mother.

  “How?” Roberta asked, with a voice that was more female than male.

  “There’s no time to explain. We must leave,” I answered.

  “Where do we go? We have no means but for here,” Claudette asked.

  “There are places for you,” I explained, “just come with me.”

  When we exited the tent, most of the circus folk had vanished and the ones remaining stood in awe. Without any further conflict, my friends and I simply walked away. Once we arrived at Mr. Avery’s mansion, a series of gasps and words of amazement overtook my pitiful friends.

  “Is this your home?” Claudette asked.

  “Not my home,” I answer. “It is Mr. Avery’s home. He shares it with me.”

  I entered the mansion with my friends cowering behind me. Although I assured them there was nothing to fear, they clung to me. Briefly after we entered, Mr. Avery stepped from the library and greeted us.

  “My friends,” I noted.

  “Welcome,” he said.

  Cautiously, the crowd of misfits began to ease out from behind me.

  “We have plenty of rooms here, all of which can accommodate you until we have the fine details worked out. If any of you are hungry, I’m afraid that nothing is prepared at the moment, but we do have some bread and honey I can offer until breakfast.”

  Not a one of my friends rejected the bread and honey or the milk that came with it. During their dining, Mr. Avery noted to me that none of them were a lost cause. He said that they were nothing more than normal people that society hadn’t cared to help when they needed help the most. He indicated this was typical.

  “Only a handful of people care about anyone besides themselves, that’s why our world is crumbling. That’s also why we need heroes like you, icons that can eventually mold the human race. Eventually, you will be introduced to society, Hester, and you will be loved by millions.”

  After all of my friends were taken to their beds, Mr. Avery and I stayed up speaking of what would become of them. Again, he reassured me none of them were a lost cause and they were all welcome in his home. If any of them cared to leave, he wouldn’t restrain them. He inquired about each of them and I informed him of what they had shared with me.

  “I can help each of these unfortunate people,” Mr. Avery said. “For Claudette, I can build her mechanical arms and legs that will surpass the strength of any man. As for Penny, I must study her to see how her brain functions. She might be nothing more than a child trapped in a woman’s body. If this is so, I can assure her that she will find the best of medical attention within these very walls. With Claudette, and the others, I will of course give them the same opportunities I have presented to you. There is no pressure whatsoever but if they want to be heroes, such as yourself; I can make these possibilities come true.”