Zarconi’s Magic Flying Fish

by Kirsty Murray

Cas and Vytas secured the net and then winched Hannah and Effie up onto the platform from which they would launch themselves in a double trapeze act. Gus ran behind the bleachers and slipped into the silver and white leotard that Nance had laid out for him. His back tingled as the silky smooth lycra met his skin.

  The ring was in shadow, all the lights trained on the trapeze. He stood in the half-light, dusting rosin on his hands and the soles of his feet, and took three deep breaths. Effie and Hannah had returned to their platforms and were bowing to the crowd. Hannah looked down at Gus and winked. He felt his heart skip with excitement. Vytas clipped the mechanic around his waist and he started walking up one of the wires that supported the rig. He heard Nance’s voice ringing out over the applause of the crowd.

  ‘And now, for the first time in Australia with the starry night sky as their backdrop, Zarconi’s Incredible Travelling Circus is proud to present the most daring flying trapeze act in the Southern Hemisphere – the Fearless Threesome, featuring Gus Zarconi, fifth-generation circus performer extraordinaire.’

  Gus didn’t look down – he didn’t want to see the expression on either Doc or Annie’s face. He kept his gaze fixed on the platform as he sprang up the wire. Cas trained the spotlight on him and the spangles on his leotard glittered, sending little arrows of coloured light out ahead of him.

  When he neared the platform, Effie and Hannah reached out their hands and hoisted him up. The audience broke into a round of applause and Gus spread his arms in a gesture of acceptance and bowed.

  He unclipped the mechanic and tossed it down to Vytas. For a split second he caught a glimpse of what was happening at the ringside. Nance had moved into the shadows and was holding Doc by the arm, restraining him. Annie was moving along the edge of the ring to where they stood, her face pale and drawn.

  Hannah unhooked a trapeze, flew across the net to the catcher’s trap and swung the trapeze back. Gus caught it in one hand. He took one last look down and saw his mother standing between Doc and Nance, all three faces staring up at him. He grasped the bar with both hands and swung out over the ring. The stars blurred into a swirling mass as he let go of the bar and spun into a somersault. Hannah’s hands closed around his wrists and she swung his body up towards the sky before releasing him to spin and fly back to the bar. The cool night air rushed past him, and as if from very far away he could hear the applause of the audience raining down around him.

  30

  AND IN THE END

  Back at the caravan park, Doc lit a fire in a 44-gallon drum and everyone’s faces glowed in the firelight, their bodies casting long shadows behind them. Annie stood off to one side, looking uncomfortable. Doc stayed close to the fire, intently loading on more and more wood until the flames grew high. He’d hardly said a word to anyone since the show finished. He looked stunned, as if he’d seen a ghost, or maybe a glimpse of the future. Every now and then he’d look across the fire at Gus and smile, but if Gus tried to meet his gaze, the old man would go back to stoking the fire.

  Gus was meant to be packing his bag but he hung around with Effie and Cas, avoiding his mum. He knew she was watching him impatiently, anxious to get back to the motel. The excitement of the show had sapped all her energy but Gus was determined to make the evening last a little bit longer.

  Hannah brought her CD player out and put on some loud gypsy music. Nance got some glasses and Vytas popped the cork on a bottle of champagne.

  ‘A triumph for Zarconi’s,’ he said, raising his glass. ‘The magic is back at last. Our little fish can fly, Annie is with us once again, and everything is as it should be!’

  ‘Steady on, Vytas,’ said Annie. ‘We’re not staying.’

  But Vytas didn’t seem to hear. He grabbed Hannah by the hand and started dancing around the fire with her, twirling her so fast that she laughed giddily. He flipped his ponytail over one shoulder and winked at Gus, his eyes golden in the firelight. Cas started clapping and tapping his foot and even Nance nodded in time to the music.

  Gus took a mouthful of Vytas’s champagne. Bubbles shot up his nose, making tears spring to his eyes. Effie laughed and took hold of his hand.

  ‘C’mon, let’s dance,’ she said.

  ‘No way!’ spluttered Gus, coughing up champagne bubbles.

  ‘Don’t be so boring. You have to dance with me. You’re the only person here that’s short enough.’

  She dragged him into the bright circle of firelight and started spinning herself around, clapping her hands, like a flamenco dancer. Buster joined in too, running around and barking at Effie’s feet. Gus couldn’t stop laughing. He sat down in the sandy soil and laughed until his stomach muscles ached while Effie, Hannah and Vytas went on dancing around him and Buster leapt up and licked his face.

  At the edge of the circle of light, Doc, Nance and Annie stood watching. It was Nance who made the first move. She looked from her husband to her daughter, her green eyes sharp. Gus couldn’t hear what she said but her expression was determined. She crossed over to Annie and then, taking Annie by the hand, approached Doc. He shook his head, and turned to walk away but Nance was insistent, reaching out to him, slipping her free arm through his.

  All three disappeared into the caravan. Gus could see them through the window, sitting around the laminex table, leaning towards each other, deep in conversation. Gus held Buster close to him and crossed his fingers. He wasn’t even sure what exactly he was hoping for but his heart beat fast and the world seemed full of possibilities. One by one, the dancers stopped and turned to stare, their faces anxious and full of longing.

  ‘Now, at last,’ said Vytas, ‘we are getting somewhere.’

  He grabbed his glass of champagne and raised it high towards the starry night sky.

  ‘You can’t keeping making toasts,’ said Effie. ‘We don’t even know what’s gonna happen!’

  ‘I don’t need to know about tomorrow,’ said Vytas. ‘Tomorrow is for you and Gus to worry about, tomorrow will happen all by itself. Tonight is for celebrations, tonight is for the magic! Can’t you feel it? It is everywhere. It was in you, in Gus, when you flew, and right now it is over there, in that caravan.’

  ‘I’ll drink to that,’ said Hannah, reaching for a glass.

  ‘Me too,’ said Cas.

  They raised their glasses high above Gus and Effie’s heads. Effie reached out and poured some Coke into a glass for herself and one for Gus as well. Gus looked at the weathered faces of the grown-ups surrounding him and at Effie, her black eyes shining in the firelight. Flames leapt high, casting strange shadows and the night sky was huge and mysterious above them. He jumped to his feet and grabbed a glass for himself.

  ‘To Zarconi’s,’ he said.

  ‘Not just Zarconi’s,’ said Effie. ‘To Zarconi’s Magic Flying Fish!’