I have this- a- friend who has an unusal hobby.

She, this friend that I sort of know collects fake shrunken heads.

I asked this, um, friend if it started with the Vincent Price make it yourself kits.

They were popular when we were kids

You made shrunken heads out of apples:

My friend said that’s what she used at first. But it if you weren’t carefull the apples would attract flies, and that is the mark of an amateur. You know. Attracting flies.

I said I didn’t understand and my friend sort of winced and said ‘nevermind’.

She did say that she took classes and learned to make them from skin- goat’s  skin she said with a rush. Then said cool as you please she prefered pig because it was more human looking.

And when my friend smiled she said quickly:

I’m all about the details you know.So I was admiring my friend’s-  and  like I said I don’t know her super well or anything and I hardly ever see her- prized homemade collection of shrunken heads that are on a shelf next to her living room door.

They were the first thing you noticed when you walked into her house…not that I’ve done that often or anything,

Anyway.

They were so real, I swear you could hear then screaming.

” Why do you keep them there?” I asked this acquaintance of mine,

” Oh. You know, Sometimes people with…unusal hobbies like to brag about what they do but they really can’t because you know, it’s just awkward, So they find other ways of telling people about what they get up to.”

I told this friend that I see maybe a couple a times every few years- sometimes and not on purpose.

I understood.

Completely.