yes. i was just thinking about sandy. and about bimba and kimba. i miss them evelyn
i know
i miss them too. especially this time of year
evelyn
the year is 1991
terminator 2 is the highest-grossing film at the box office
the first super nintendo entertainment system has just been released and after 70 years of communist rule the union of soviet socialist republics has collapsed
and on a chicken ranch just at side of claxton
georgia twin sisters are waiting for their supper
the farm is old and operated by alfred mccluck
an eccentric man with a fascination with civil war weaponry. mccluck's chicken farms produces over 140
000 chickens a year and ships wings
thighs and legs all over the continental united states
despite the modest success of his business
mccluck leads a solitary life
never marrying and tending several of the chicken houses himself. a simple man with a not entirely bad heart. mccluck never knew how to best take care of the young girls who came into his life shortly after their birth
so
he raised them the only way he knew how - in a 2-foot by 2-foot wire mesh cage on a diet of mash
crumbles
pellets and egg booster
one clear september day during the twins sixth year at the farm mccluck does not come at mealtime. night falls and still he doesn't appear. the girls and the chickens cry out from hunger
days pass and the chickens in neighboring cage has begin to die. the smell of rotting poultry permeates the air of the hot
humid barn
finally
desperate to find food and concerned over the whereabouts of their guardian
the twins break free from their cage
mccluck's house is locked tight
but the girls find the garden hose
which quenches their thirst. still half delirious with hunger
they make their way out to the road
little time passes before a dusty black cadillac coupe de ville drives by and pulls over. a tall
mustached young man with a kindly face steps out of the vehicle. he smiles at the girls
and presents them with the first candy they had ever tasted - a twix bar
which they share in silent
odd delight
the girls do not feel at all uncomfortable when the man leads them gently into the dark
spacious trunk
in the following days the girls are transferred into the trunks or several other cars by many other kindly
candy bar offering men until they reach their final destination at the lakeside lodge in manitoba
the underwood lodge is a collection of cozy
water front cabins with an attached trailer park along the shores of lake winnipeg
it is also the world headquarters of budding flowers entertainment
specializing in the production and distribution of photographs and vhs tapes for clientele with unique tastes
the girls are welcomed by mrs. deborah bouldger
the 52-year-old portraitist
a women of enormous proportions who lives with her own 3 children in the main lodge of the underwood
upon finding that the girls have no names she them eva and lynn
names
which neither she
nor the twins themselves are ever able to keep straight
the twin's days of the underwood are relatively comfortable
they are well cared for
the food is delicious and there are many other girls their age
once a week
photo sessions take place
convivial affairs that involve make-up
a wide variety of dress up costumes and inventive new games
every few days mrs. bouldger introduces the girls to one of their many uncles
these uncles
seemingly endless in number
travel from all over the world to visit their nieces
the girls don't always like their new uncles
but mrs. bouldger is always quick to remind them that 'family is family' and 'blood is thicker than water'
the conjoined sisters are not popular amongst the other girls
however
one gentle resident
a few years their senior befriends them and takes them under her wing
her name is sandy
she has soft
blond hair that reaches down to her knees
everyone says she looks like a mermaid
dressed daily by mrs. bouldger in trademark fishnet stockings and vintage attire
sandy is by far the most popular girl of the underwood. she has so many uncles that the twins lose count
every night after dinner and chores
sandy talks the young sisters into bed and tells them fantastic stories until they fall peacefully to sleep
but these happy times do not last. shortly after the twins' third christmas under mrs. bouldger's care
sandy disappears - never to return
the twins remain in the underwood for the greater part of two
long
miserable years. without sandy to protect them
they are ostracized and abused by the other girls
the photo sessions involve fewer fancy costumes and over time
their uncles become more peculiar
the twins begin to notice the disturbing tendency for girls
much like their dear friend sandy - to quietly disappear from the underwood around their 12th or 13th birthday. the sisters brace themselves for something terrible
one autumn
when the girls are eleven
an old man
who speaks only spanish
takes the twins into a large
orange van and drives them to their new home
dillard and fullerton
elusive and illogical traveling show is the 12th largest touring circus in north america. former insurance salesman
dillard and fullerton
distinguish their enterprise by procuring the most shocking specimen of the grotesque and unusual. their small administrative staff works tirelessly to combat legal actions and public allegations of animal cruelty and human slave trafficking
life in the circus is harder than their time at the underwood. there is always work to be done. in addition to their chores of laundry and sweeping
mr. dillard insist that the twins spend many hours each day practicing their act
the girls are frightened of the clowns
several of whom
by amazing coincidence
also happen to be their uncles
but still
overall these early days at the circus are happy time for the twins
every night to the delight of audiences across the country
the girls appear in the center ring
singing and strumming the ukulele
at the top of bimba and kimba - the world's only known conjoined twin siamese elephants
the twins feel they have found true soul mates in bimba and kimba
who they affectionately refer to as 'elephant
elephant'. this special bond is reciprocates by the pachyderms
who fondly nozzle the girls with their trunks and seem to delight in giving them rides
the twins and the elephants are inseparable
with the help of the alphonso de arresting
the animal trainer
the twins tend to the elephants
feeding them and grooming them daily
but one terrible august morning
bimba and kimba refuse to take their food. due to the unsanitary conditions of their quarters and an improper diet of popcorn and cotton candy
the elephants have contracted a rare form of elephantine diphtheria compounded by early onset alzheimer's disease
for the next two weeks can only stand by helplessly
as their companions become sicker and weaker and begin displaying obvious signs of memory loss. the last few days are almost unbearable. with bimba and kimba's confused
sad eyes looking up at the girls with great anguish
but no hint of recognition
and on one
grim
september day
the sisters 16th birthday
elephant elephant dies
the funeral is held at the same day a grizzly affair had an industrial trash compactor behind a home depot in fort dodge iowa
the twins are devastated. without bimba and kimba life is but a terrible and meaningless void. they resign themselves to living out the rest of their hollow existence in solemn mourning
the emotionally exhausted sisters fall from favor within the circus
no longer willing to sing and play their ukulele
the girls are dressed in a pink tutu and forced to balance on the giant red ball
an impossible task for the conjoined sisters
the audience roars with laughter each time they awkwardly fall
their discomfort is increased by a pair of radical groups who have taken an interest in the twins. every night in most major city
protesters assemble
nosily waving signs and chanting slogans in front of the box office
the first faction claims to represent an organization called 'fassen' - the foundation for always separating siamese twins everywhere now
citing the bible
fassen members vehemently believe that it is the will of the lord that all conjoined twins be separated and allowed to live individual lives. wielding symbolical surgical saws and blunt carbon knives
fassen members for supporting the abomination of god
the second group operates under the acronym split - the society for the preservation of linked identical twins
a reactionary organization
working to discredit the claims of fassen
split believes that conjoined twins will play a critical role in the second coming of christ
the twins are terrified by both groups - the knives and saws make them very nervous and split members make threats to kidnap the girls and take them to where they will be kept safe in a place of darkness until the rapture
one day before sunday matinee
a chaotic brawl erupts between the two factions and one fassen member gets alarmingly close to the twins with a hacksaw
stricken with fear
the sisters decide that they are no longer safe at the circus
that night
they make a resolution - to leave the dillard and fullerton traveling show - forever