Freak Show

“Are you looking to bring sparkle and pizazz to your life? Are you looking for a brand new ambiance? Well come join us at Shadow Haynes’ Circus this Saturday! Watch death defying feats that will simply amaze you! Laugh with the clown acts! See our contortionists, magicians, living statues and more! You won’t believe your eyes! Come one, come all!”

The man on the corner sounded like a canival barker. In a way, I suppose he was. Advertising and enticing with a fake, syrupy charm. Dressed in a too-small, pin-striped suit and a shabby top hat, he certainly looked the part. His black, handlebar mustache didn’t hurt either.

My best friend Kissy Preston punched me in the arm. “Hey, wanna go? Might be fun.” She grinned as she watched the tall, lanky man wave his arms and continue his spiel.

“Oh, I don’t know. Sounds pretty childish to me. Can’t we find something better to do?” I stuck my hands down into the pockets of my plum-colored cardigan sweater. “Besides, I don’t have any money. l spent my allowance already.”

“Pam, what’d you go and do that for?”

“Hey, I didn’t know the circus was coming to town. It’s never been here before.”

“Excuse me young ladies. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shadow Haynes, proprietor of the circus that will commence on Saturday at noon.” The gentleman who had been standing on the corner just moments before bent at the waist and tipped his hat. “I couldn’t help but overhear your dilemma. Please accept these two tickets on my behalf.”‘ His words sounded old-fashioned and worn.

“Why?” I was suspicious of the man’s intentions. People just didn’t give things away for no reason.

Shadow Haynes giggled and twisted the edge of his long mustache. “Why, indeed, lass. I have been in such a position myself. In want of experiencing the finer things of life. In want of experiencing adventure, but alas, no funds to speak of. But with my circus I have amassed a grand fortune. Why not share that with others?”

Krissy bounced on her toes, her bright blue eyes sparkling. “Come on it’s day after tomorrow. It’s summer. You’re always saying your Mom complains you’re underfoot too much. Please?”

I relented.”Okay, we’ll go.”

“Fine choice, Pamela, dear.” Shadow Haynes’ upper lip curled slightly. “I look forward to seeing you both.”

The traveling road show evoked a throwback era of nostalgia with its high-pitched tents, a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and Kewpie doll-like games.

“Let’s go ride the roller coaster, Pam.” Krissy tugged on my arm, almost ripping my blue-striped blouse.

“We came to watch the circus, I scolded. “We can do that after.” The girl in icy blonde pigtails and a pink babydoll jumper was a few years younger than myself. She was a good friend but at times more like a pesky little sister.

“And we can check out the arcade later too?”

“Yes, and the arcade.”

We walked across the enormous asphalt parking lot, hand in hand. Where were all the cars? There were no trucks, no vans, not even any bicycles or scooters. l knew we weren’t early. Had we gotten the time wrong?

I watched the show in a mixture of confusion and boredom. The overweight acrobats wore gaudy, out-of-style sequins. The scrawny tigers looked exhausted and uninterested.

Where were all the familes? Where were the children?

Sad clowns with rudimentary circus skills leapt and tumbled to creepy, slow-moving music. Mediocre jugglers flipped and danced, stilt-walkers struggled and two unicyclers crashed into one another. I swear I saw blood.

“Are you having a good time?” Krissy asked, a meekness in her voice that I had never heard before.

“No.” I replied flatly.

“l’m sorry.”

We would have been better off staying home, watching ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ reruns and eating greasy potato chips. “It’s not your fault.” And it wasn’t.

“Wanna leave?” Krissy pouted.

“Yes, please.”

As we stood from our rusty seats, proprietor Shadow Haynes stepped onto the wooden stage and spoke into a crackling microphone. “Good afternoon, lady and lady.” He nodded his head in our direction. “l am hopeful you have found delight in our showmanship this fine day.”

“That would be a big fat no.” Krissy screamed across the big top tent and I clamped my hand over her mouth.

“What she means is, we just thought it would be a little more flashy, a little more glitzy and glamorous.”

“Is that so? I am so terribly disappointed that you are disillusioned.” The man snapped his long fingers in the air, “I tell you what, how about a soda on me? Orange okay?” He snapped his fingers again.

Within moments a fat, sad clown with a pink, scarred rubber ball for a nose presented us with two jumbo-sized paper cups, sloshing an orange, fizzy liquid on the dirt floor, metal railings and our laps. He covered his garish mouth and slinked away.

Foam tickled my nose and I giggled as I gulped down the goodness. It tasted like a sweet hard candy. Krissy licked at the fiery ring around her lips and laughed, deep and hearty. Shadow Haynes had made up for his performers ineptitude with the beverage. I was about to ask for more when he spoke again.

He narrowed his eyelids to mere slits. “Have you children ever seen a freak show before?”

“Boy, he sure is loud.” l winced and looked at Krissy.

“Freak. Freak. Ffreeeaakkk.” Her mouth slashed back to her ears as she said the word. “That shounds sho funny.”

We laughed until our sides ached.

“Follow me behind this curtain and you will see a concoction of oddities you will not see in a million lifetimes.”

Someone grabbed my shoulder and then my world became a stark white canvas.

My right elbow jarred against something hard and l jolted awake. I had an excruciating headache and my vision was blurry. Krissy was crying softly by my side. “What is it, Krissy? What’s wrong?”

She wailed. “We’re freaks, Pam. He made us freaks. Look what he’s done.”
Sitting up was futile. Blood was on the left arm of my ripped, blue-striped blouse and … Krissy? Krissy was on my arm too. Not just on my arm but IN my arm. We were sewn together, big thick sutures from the sides of our necks down to our hip bones.

“Now don’t struggle, you’ll rip apart and each bleed to your death.” Shadow Haynes raked his eyes along our conjoined bodies and snickered. “After the stitches heal you can move about more freely, within reason of course.” He sat back on his haunches inside the large, barred-window stagecoach-type wagon and proceeded to peel a red-skinned apple.

“What have you done?” I spat. “What the hell have you done?”

“Cracked me open a book about circus attractions, you know, what lures people in and what brings on the money? These twin brothers Lazlo and lvan Wernigan were Siamese, stuck together at the chest. Folks came from miles around to gawk at them and to throw money at their three shriveled, little bony feet.” He took a big sloppy bite out of his apple.
“And there were these twin sisters Dawny and Victoria Haverford who were crammed together on the sides. They had the usual legs and feet and they began a dancing circus show when they were only four. I bet folks fell in love with those girls.” He pointed his paring knife at us. “They’ll love you girls too. You wait and see. We’re gonna be rich. Yep, we’re gonna be rich.”