by Jeff Sutton
"I'll be here."
The lion tamer started to turn away, then swung back. "Where are you staying, kid?"
Page 21
"No place," he admitted.
"Where do you sleep?"
"In the panda grass."
"The grass, hey? Well, we can do better than that. I don't think the Doc would mind, even if you're not working for us. Had anything to eat?"
"A man gave me two hamburgers."
"We can do better than that, too." The lion tamer glanced around.
"Corky?"
A sad-faced clown stepped forward. "I'll take care of him," he said.
"Thank you," murmured Jedro. He wondered why the clown looked so sad.
Later he learned that not all clowns laughed and rollicked, some, like Corky, wore melancholic masks, and it was this pathos that endeared Corky to the spectators, for they saw in him their own secret bafflements and frustrations.
Corky wore their sorrow for them.
Following the clown from the main tent, Jedro felt wildly jubilant.
Tomorrow he would see Dr. Faust and get a job; he couldn't imagine that it could be otherwise.
The past was past and the future lay ahead.
He remembered back to that long-ago morning when he'd awakened in Mr.
Krant's attic bedroom. Then the world ahead had been unutterably bleak; but not this world.
This world was big and bright.
4
"HEY, KID, wake up!"
Jedro opened his eyes with a start. A shaft of morning light streamed in through the back of the wagon in which he had slept. For a wild moment he wondered where he was before memory streamed back. The man peering in at him was the lion tamer.
He pushed aside the blankets provided by the clown and scrambled to his feet, aware that the yellow sun Klore already was well above the horizon. He couldn't remember ever having slept so late. Slipping into his clothes, he leaped to the ground.
"We'd better eat so we can catch the Doc early," advised the lion tamer.
"He's usually in a better mood in the morning." He led Jedro to the mess tent.
Jedro caught the delicious aroma of frying things and inhaled deeply. Suddenly he was ravenous.
The lion tamer gestured him to a table and went back to the counter where a white-clad cook was busy over a griddle. Jedro looked around warily. Several people at a nearby table were eyeing him speculatively. He flushed and looked away.
The lion tamer returned with two plates heaped with food, then brought a mug of black coffee for himself and a glass of milk for Jedro. While eating, he explained, "The Doc is a strange fellow. Moody, not too pleasant. Your best bet is to say 'Yes, sir' and 'No, sir' and not much else. In general keep your mouth shut. Don't volunteer any information unless he asks."
"What will he ask me?"
"Can't say." The lion tamer grimaced.
"I'll do my best," he promised.
"Occasionally he's all right." The lion tamer rubbed his jaw. "Once I even saw him laugh."
"When was that?"
"When a rube broke his leg on the merry-go-round."
Jedro looked to see if he were joking and decided he wasn't. "What's a rube?"
"Anyone out there." The lion tamer gestured airily toward the sawdust street. "The great paying public, the chumps. More politely, the customers.
But all rubes. The name's as old as the business," he explained.
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Jedro asked, "What do you call people who work here?"
"Carnies."
"That's what I want to be, a carney."
"Actually this is more of a circus and carnival combined," observed the lion tamer. "The people who work in the big tent are circus performers. That's where I come from, a circus. The carnies run the freak shows, rides, concessions -- things like that. The con men are on that end."
Jedro thought that the few people present appeared quite ordinary; none resembled the lurid pictures he'd seen on the posters. "Not many people here,"
he remarked speculatively.
"Most work late and sleep late," explained the lion tamer. He pointed out Rocky, The Stone Man; and Hot Mouth, The Fire Eater. "They're carney types," he said. His voice left the implication that circus performers were a
notch above the others.
Jedro studied Rocky curiously. "He doesn't look like stone to me," he offered.
"Every trade has its tricks," the lion tamer declared enigmatically.
Later Jedro learned that the "stone" flesh the carney exhibited was created by a special plastic spray which, hardening, appeared and felt like granite.
He was finishing breakfast when a dark, slender woman of indeterminate age came in, accompanied by the young blond girl he'd seen in the ticket booth. He wondered if the woman was the girl's mother. They certainly didn't look alike.
The lion tamer, observing his interest, explained, "That's Wanda, The Snake Woman. Best show on the street. She works with a thirty-foot anaconda."
"A thirty-foot snake?" he exclaimed.
"It's actually somewhat shorter, but who's going to measure it?" The lion tamer smiled.
"I saw the girl in the ticket office," he ventured.
"That's Kathy."
"Is she from the home world?"
"We all are. If the Doc hires you, you'll be the first carney from this planet. But don't get your hopes too high, kid. The Doc doesn't cotton much to outworlders."
"Why?" he asked defensively.
"No particular reason, except that it takes a long time to train a carney. No matter what you do
-- performer, shill, barker, or just plain roustabout -- the work's specialized, takes time. Carnies are born, not made;
it's in the blood. Same with circus people. You don't find that kind of talent on a world like this."
"I'm still going to work here," he declared stoutly.
"We'll see what we can do, kid."
Jedro studied the girl covertly. "Is The Snake Woman her mother?"
The lion tamer frowned into his coffee cup before saying, "She lost her father. The Snake Woman took her in. Kathy's a fine girl," he added.
"Oh," exclaimed Jedro. He felt a pang of sorrow for the blond girl. "Did he die?"
The lion tamer said harshly, "He ran away, abandoned her." Abruptly he pushed back his chair and rose. "We'd better see if we can corner the Doc."
He led Jedro to a long red- and white-striped house trailer parked alongside the main tent. Block letters on its side read: DR. FAUST'S MAGIC
CARNIVAL. The trailer was neat and clean. Portable steps led to a rear door.
Blinds drawn over the small windows at either end gave it a deserted appearance.
"The Doc used to be a master hypnotist in show business before he started the carnival,"
explained the lion tamer. "That was back on Earth. They say he was the best."
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"What's a hypnotist?"
"A man who makes you do what he wants you to do. I guess that's the best way of explaining it."
"How does he do that?"
"By suggestion."
"You mean he puts thoughts in your head, makes you think they're your own?"
"That's a good way to put it, yeah. Remember what I told you." The lion tamer ascended the steps and rapped on the door.
"What is it?" called an irritable voice from inside.
"Jason," shouted the lion tamer. "Got a minute, Doc?" There was movement inside before the door opened, revealing a tall, slender man with a dark, inscrutable face. His black eyes, riveted on Jason Hart, pointedly excluded
Jedro.
"What is it?" he demanded testily.
"I brought a kid who wants a job."
"We don't hire on this planet," snapped Faust. "You know that."
"This boy's different," protested the lion tamer. "He's a good hand with animals."
"Oh, the boy who returned Taber to his cage." Faust's dark eyes appraised Jedro. He had the impressio
n that they were looking straight through him, concentrating on something behind him.
He forced himself to return the carnival owner's gaze.
"He has no parents," said the lion tamer. "He's free to go anywhere.
Besides, we need help with the animals."
"You always need more help," Faust said curtly. His eyes remained on the youth.
"Ain't that the truth!" The lion tamer grinned.
"What made you so certain the lion wouldn't hurt you?" asked Faust. It took Jedro a moment to realize the question had been directed at him.
"His eyes," he blurted.
"What about his eyes?"
"They were gentle."
"Gentle?" Faust smiled sardonically. "Do you know how many people that cat's ripped up?"
"That's because they didn't understand him," he protested. He had the awful feeling of the job slipping away.
"And you do?"
"Yes, sir," he asserted.
Faust's harsh laugh denied the statement. "All right, you can try him out," he told Jason Hart.
"He can help with the relks, horses, all the animals, but I don't want him loafing around the lions."
"I won't loaf," Jedro promised eagerly.
"Don't come whining to me when you're missing an arm," he snapped. He stepped back and slammed the door.
"You're in," the lion tamer said softly.
"I'm in." Jedro gazed wonderingly at the big red- and white-striped tent. "I'm a carney."
His face broke into a happy grin.
Jedro sprang joyfully into his new life. Although his main job was tending the horses and relks, Jason Hart occasionally allowed him to help with the lions, but never when they were feeding.
"They're too dangerous at meal time," he explained.
That first night Jedro got to view the show in the big tent. Clowns, acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists, rope walkers, trick riders -- he'd never dreamed it could be so wonderful. But most wonderful of all was the act put on by the lion tamer and his wife Millie.
First Jason, dressed in a bright red jacket, tight breeches and polished black boots, entered the Page 24
cage where Taber and his mate Rana prowled restlessly. It was then that Jedro understood why the lion tamer had been holding the chair when Taber had escaped, for in the act he used it as a shield, always keeping it between him and the lions. As he cracked his whip, shouting orders, the lions raced around and around, their lean bodies stretched until their bellies were close to the floor. Abruptly he struck a pose, cracked his whip, shouted a new order; the lions halted, wheeled around, and leaped onto the low stools set in the center of the cage.
While Jason Hart bowed to the roaring, stomping, clapping crowd, Millie Hart entered the cage. Slight and graceful in a bright red blouse, black tights, and polished boots that reached to midcalf, she carried only a short
whip. With Jason watchful in the background, she put the big cats through an intricate routine of tricks. At the climax, with the drums beating louder and louder and Millie directing with fast movements of her whip, Taber led Rana in a series of jumps through fiery hoops that continually were raised higher above the floor of the cage. Watching in awe, Jedro thrilled to their graceful leaps. Afterward, Millie and Jason took their bows to a thunderous ovation that marked the closing of Dr. Faust's Magic Carnival.
To Jedro's intense satisfaction, he was quickly accepted by the performers, barkers, ticket sellers, shills, and roust-abouts, the latter of whom performed the carnival's manual labor and maintenance. They called him
"Jed" and "the kid" and made him feel very much a part of the show. He was
"the boy who captured the lion." Jedro loved it.
Jason took the first opportunity to introduce him to Kathy, the blond girl who sold tickets at The Snake Woman's booth. "Jedro's with us now," he told her.
She gave Jedro a friendly smile. "I hope you'll like it."
"It's wonderful," he declared, then blushed, afraid she would think him a rube.
"Kathy is with Wanda, The Snake Woman," explained Jason, as if Jedro hadn't known.
"I saw you selling tickets there," he offered. "Do you like snakes?"
Realizing the inanity of the question, his face flamed anew. She didn't appear to notice.
"Not exactly."
"Jedro has a way with animals," Jason Hart told her.
"I don't know about snakes," he protested. "I never heard of one until I got here."
"They don't have them on Doorn," she observed.
"Why don't you show Jedro around?" suggested the lion tamer. "He hasn't seen much of us yet."
"I'd be happy to," she murmured.
Jedro grinned. "That would be great."
"Don't be late." Slapping Jedro's shoulder, the lion tamer vanished into the big tent.
Kathy studied her watch. "We haven't much time."
"If you'd rather not..."
"It's not that," she cut in hastily. "I have to open the booth before long."
"We could walk around," he suggested.
"All right."
As they started along the sawdust street, he asked, "How long have you been with the carnival?"
The troubled look that flooded her face told him it was the wrong question. He writhed inwardly.
"A long time." Her voice was strained. "I came with it from Earth."
"Mr. Hart is wonderful. So is Mrs. Hart." He spoke quickly, trying to repair the damage. "I never knew a place could be like this."
She glanced sideways at him. "Where are you from?"
"A gran ranch."
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"Around here?"
"The other side of Little Paris," he explained.
"Oh, that's a pretty town. Do your folks live there?"
"It wasn't my home. I just worked there. Most of the time I tended the gran, but during the winters I worked around the house and barn." He caught her puzzled expression and blurted, "I haven't any folks."
"That's too bad." She stared straight ahead.
"That's why I wanted to join the carnival," he continued lamely. "I never saw anything but the gran ranch, not even a town until I got to Little Paris. I want to stay here, go with the carnival when it returns to the home planet."
"Earth," she said painfully.
"Do you miss it?"
She nodded, her face tight again.
"I want to see it," he explained quickly. He had the frantic feeling of getting into deeper and deeper water. Why, he didn't know. Did Earth remind her of her father? "I've heard about the big cities and aircars and buildings that almost touch the sky. I have to see them," he added desperately.
"It's a lovely world." Her voice closed the subject. She pointed out the more interesting sideshows, explaining a little about each. The Fattest Woman in the Universe weighed only a little over five hundred pounds rather than the advertised eight hundred and the Tallest Man in the Universe stood only seven foot six instead of nine feet.
"Fakes like The Stone Man," he exclaimed.
"We shouldn't mention those things."
"About being fakes?"
"Not to anyone outside," she cautioned.
"I wouldn't do that." He looked at her. "Is The Pig-Faced Boy a fake?"
"Some people are unfortunate," she answered gravely.
"How about Hot Mouth? Does he really eat fire?"
She nodded. "But I think he uses some kind of a spray. Have you seen The Sword Swallower? He really does run the sword all the way down his throat. I used to think it telescoped or something but it doesn't. He showed it to me."
Jedro remembered the lion tamer's words and said, "Mr. Hart told me that everything here is an illusion, that nothing is real."
"That's not true," she objected. "Lots of the shows are real, like The Human Pincushion. He actually does jab pins into his arms and legs. And I think The Strangler might be the strongest man in the universe."
"He sure looks it on the posters," he exclaimed. "I'd like to see him."
&nb
sp; "He frightens me."
"Why?" He shot a glance at her.
"He's stupid and cruel." She tossed her head disdainfully. "They use him to kill the animals that get wounded or are too sick to be of further use."
"But if they can't be cured..."
"He likes it," she cut in. "He likes to smash their bones. He's a sadist."
"Gosh." He gulped. Even Mr. Krant wasn't that mean. "How about Wanda?
Does she really charm snakes?"
"She says it's a form of hypnosis." Kathy raised her head. "Oh, there's Granny. You'll have to meet her."
Jedro followed her gaze and saw a thin, white-haired woman wearing a black shawl around her frail shoulders. Her face, wrinkled and brown, made her look incredibly old. A sign above her Page 26
booth read: MADAME BREVET SEES ALL, KNOWS ALL.
"Hello, Granny," called Kathy.
The old woman smiled toothily. "Bless you, child. My, how pretty your hair is today." Her gaze rested on Jedro. "I don't believe I've met your young friend."
Kathy introduced him, explaining, "He works for the carnival."
"He does?" Granny's interest sharpened.
"I've just started," he said shyly.
"Oh, you're the boy who's working with Jason." Her smile returned. "I heard how you handled that lion. That was a brave thing to do."
He flushed. "He isn't mean."
"Of course he's not," she agreed. "I'll tell you a secret. I pet him myself now and then, and Rana, too."
"You do?" He gazed admiringly at her.
"I don't let Jason know. He'd be scared stiff."
"Does he really think they are dangerous?"
"Almost everyone does. It's because they don't understand them." Granny patted his head. "I'm glad you can be with us, Jedro. I know you'll like the carnival. It's a wonderful place."
"It sure is," he exclaimed.
"Perhaps you'll have a show of your own someday."
"She's nice," said Jedro, when they turned away. He cast a sidelong glance at the girl. "Can she really read the future?" He had a quick memory of Mr. Clement predicting his own death, and shuddered. But it hadn't been a dream; he had the memory stone to prove it.
"I believe she's more of a mind reader than a fortune teller," reflected Kathy.