A Different Kind of Bull

His aunts and uncles whispered about him in hushed tones throughout the birthday party. He was a sensitive child, one that was always prone to crying, and with his change in behavior, he quickly became the laughing stock to everyone in his grade. He couldn’t help it. Because of his sudden fear of bulls, he now stood out in embarrassing ways, and it wasn’t long before he became known to them as Angus. The children mocked him with that name at any chance that came up, and the poor boy just remained quiet about his nickname. The sad thing was that he actually loved animals, including bulls, but still, he was now afraid of the massive beasts.

It all started on a regular Monday morning. Angus’ school was so close to his house that many of the children living in his neighborhood were able to walk there. Of course, they always went in groups. They didn’t mind, though, for they were happy to get a chance to talk to friends before their day of learning, and one of the things that they loved about their route was the field that they would pass by. It was a grassy field behind a wooden fence, and scattered throughout the field were cows and bulls.

The children were always excited to see them, and whenever there was a cow that was close to the fence, they’d pull at the grass and rush to the fence with the hope that it would come to them and take it from their little hands. Most times, the cows were friendly and would come to the fence in groups or pairs. The children would light up as they stuck their hands through the fence, and after the cows took the grass, they’d hurry off before the bell rang, laughing with joy. It was such a small moment, but it was always enough to last the entire day. Angus always stayed a little longer, though, and as he stood by the fence, he’d quietly stare at the bulls.

Unlike the cows, the bulls never came up to the fence. They kept their distance and would only flick their tails as the children tried to call out to them. It didn’t matter to Angus. Unlike the others, he never grew bored with them just because they didn’t greet him like the cows. He was fascinated by their size and their strength, and as he stood at the fence on that particular Monday morning, he was approached by another boy that was fascinated by the bulls.

His name was Tobias, but unlike Angus, his interest came from a very dark place. Most of the students didn’t enjoy talking to him because of his knowledge on dark subjects, but Angus – being the kind soul that he was – was open to hearing what his fellow classmate knew about bulls. It was then that Tobias told him about a bronze bull.

“A bronze bull?” Angus would ask him. “But what is that?”

He initially thought it was a specific breed but was shocked to learn that it was actually a bull that was made entirely of bronze, one that was used for torturing humans. Angus felt a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, but it was too late. He had already asked the question, and with that, Tobias was ready to share everything that he knew about the subject. It was a hollow bull made entirely out of bronze, and once a person was placed inside of it through a tiny door on the side, a fire would be lit underneath, burning the poor soul alive until there were only shiny bones left inside of it. Angus could already imagine it now, the black smoke pouring out of its nostrils as the person inside of it screamed out in pain. He wanted to throw up at the thought of it.

“And that’s not all!” Tobias continued. “The first person to be burned alive in it was none other than the man that actually made it. They wanted to test it out, and so after the guy bragged about it, they had it tested out on him. Isn’t that crazy?”

Angus could only answer in silence. Unlike the boy in front of him, the idea of such a horrible thing ever existing made him want to cry, and so he wrapped his arms around his stomach in an attempt to soothe himself. It didn’t work, though. Throughout the entire day, the disturbing new information stayed in his mind, plaguing him until he was smelling the flesh burning and hearing the horrible screaming. The students would stare at him as he trembled with beads of sweat on his face, and as they walked to and from school, passing by the fields was no longer a joyful part of his day; for with each bull that he saw, he imagined a person inside of it being roasted alive, and the thought of it made him want to scream.

He never said a word about his fears to his peers, but children are quick to notice things – as people tend to forget – and it wasn’t long before they knew that he was afraid of that animal. They didn’t know why he had that fear, but they didn't care to. Now as they walked to and from school, they had something new to laugh at, and poor Angus was never able to draw up enough courage to speak up for himself. Deep down he felt like the jokes they made of him were true, and he couldn’t help it; no matter how much he loved the bulls, he now had a bad association with the creatures that shook him to the core.

The only people that Angus told were his parents, and immediately they had empathy for the poor boy. The rest of the family laughed at him, not understanding why he was suddenly so disturbed by the animals, but fortunately for him, his parents were not the type of people to stand for their son being mocked. Not only that, but they knew their son. Their son loved animals, especially bulls, and the fact that he was now tormented by a fear for what he loved saddened them beyond what words could describe. They hushed the elders that laughed at him and watched him. He sat away from the other children as they ran to collect candy, and suddenly, the party gave them an idea.

One sunny afternoon, they waited for Angus to come home from school, and when he did, they blindfolded him and led him to the backyard. He held on to his mother’s arm and giggled as they brought him to their tree, and when they removed his blindfold, he was standing face to face with a giant piñata.

He blinked a few times before jumping back. It was in the shape of a giant bull, and the realization frightened him, but his mother held him in her arms until he was calm and eventually, he was able to look at it. It was beautiful, being made from long strips of paper that came in all colors of the rainbow, and the more that he looked at it, the more that his mind became less afraid of it. He stared at the large, flowery eyes in silence, and when he was ready, his father brought out a wooden baseball bat and struck the piñata with a single hard blow.

Immediately it burst open, and Angus was showered with candy. They were hard candy, gummy candy, sour candy. All different colors and all delightful to his young and innocent eyes. He held out his hands, smiling as he caught the bits that rained down on him. With each month, his parents would find a new reason to celebrate just so that they could bring out a piñata for him. It was always a different design and color scheme, never ceasing to amaze Angus, but it was the same animal each time. It was a bull, and it was filled with candy and confetti and glitter. Not with anything that would plague his mind with horrifying thoughts but with something that he loved and couldn’t wait to catch in his small hands.

And in time, he became less scared of the bulls. He would be able to pass by the grassy field and return to being fascinated without any hint of fear, for with that very first piñata came the start to a new association, one that came with a basket full of candy and a night of pleasant dreams. It was a good memory, and that single happy memory was enough to drive the bad one out.