Freak Show Read online

  “Holy fuck, it’s like the X games on water!” squeals Kelly and I finally uncover my mouth.

  “What are they?” I lean closer to her to yell near her ear.

  “Who cares? They’re hot!” She yells before blaring out a whoop of cheer and leans over the rail even farther.

  Screams break through the happy hollers of the crowd and I spin around to see what the cause is. To the left side of the sphere a pale white colossal crocodile, the size of a blue whale, leaps out of the water and sails over the skate park. His jaws are split open and snap down with a force that shakes the earth under my feet. A skater is caught mid jump as the beast floats through the air and is just about to be snatched between the giant teeth of the creature but crashes to the ground with just a large slash down his back where a tooth grazed his skin. He lands with a roll then jumps up in victory and the gleaming crock dives back into the water on the other side. The splash he causes rocks the skate park and all the animal men wobble on their feet to keep their balance.

  “Oh my God,” all three of my friends and I yell at the same time. My cocktail slips from my hand and tumbles down the small bank. The bottomless drink is pouring out and mixing with the lake’s water in a never ending stream of purple glitter. The skater turns around to pick up his board and blood flows from the wound on his back. Once his board is in his hand again he walks slowly to the edge of the floating park and lowers to his knees. Another rider joins him and cups water into his hands to splash it over the open sore. I lean even closer to watch, like when there is a car accident and you can’t look away from it, but as the water washes over him, the blood disappears and the wound closes up instantly.

  “Is the water magic, too?” I look to Anne for answers and she places her hand between my shoulder blades.

  “No honey. He is.” Her eyebrows wiggle suggestively and laughter rolls up from my belly. It’s so unimaginable that my brain can’t process it, so instead I double over in laughter. Crocodiles the size of whales and men with the heads of animals, of course! Why wouldn’t he be magic instead of the water? It’s absolutely crazy.

  A pair of hands rest on my hips and I turn to look at who’s touching me. “Enjoying the show?” It’s Pandora.

  “Um, y-yes.” I mutter softly, my gaze is caught up in hers and the crowd around me begins to fade away. I shift my feet to face her and she lifts one hand to cup my jaw.

  “You’re even more beautiful than last time.” She smiles.

  “I don’t,” I shake my head in confusion. “Do I know you?” Her smile drops into a pout like frown.

  “Oh, Serenity.” She breathes and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. I fold my arms around her waist and lean my face into her neck. She smells like lilacs and I breathe in deeply. Drawing her scent into my nose to keep a part of her with me when she vanishes again, because for some reason I know she will. Her hands rub up and down my back in a soothing gesture and she whispers, “I forget how hard it can be for you.”

  “How hard what can be?” my voice sounds like a low whine as she pulls away from me just enough to place a soft kiss to my forehead.

  “It’s against the laws for me to tell you, sweetheart.” Pandora takes a step back but her fingers twist into a stray strand of my hair. “Keep your eyes open for him, OK. It’ll all make sense when you find him.”

  “I-I don’t. I don’t know who. Who am I looking for? You aren’t making any sense!” I grab the wrist of the hand that’s playing with my hair and squeeze it tight, hoping I can get her to tell me who she is and who the hell “he” is. My voice is demanding and insistent but it doesn’t matter.

  “I’m sorry.” Her mouth says the words with no volume and Pandora pulls free of my hold. She walks backwards, her gaze never leaving mine, until the crowd swallows her up again. This heavy sense of being homesick washes over me. It’s as if I’m missing a huge part of me I don’t even know exists. Hugging her felt like when I’d been away from home for the weekend and when I come back my dog is so happy to see me that he knocks me over to get into my arms.

  “BULLSEYE!” A rough voice near me screams and Anne plows into my back. Her unexpected weight drops me to my knees with her covering my back. She’s breathing heavily and her hands are grabbing for me, my shoulders, my biceps and my elbows.

  “Are you OK?” She huffs, standing me back up and touching me all over.

  “Yes, what the hell?” I snap. “That hurt.” I look down to see tiny particles of gravel stuck into the skin of my knee. I brush it off and as the dirt falls to the ground again I’m left with tiny patterns in my skin.

  “Ugh!” She puffs out a huge breath of air and points to a man a few feet away who is laughing hysterically while another man tries to shove at him. The two look like brothers fighting over the last piece of candy. “See them? The one with the shorts is the one who yelled bullseye.”

  “So?”

  “Bullseye is very dangerous!” She whisper yells like I should already know this. “It’s a magic ball and whatever you through it at is sucked into a vortex of light and dropped into the Other Side so the new owner can retrieve it later.” Her eyes are wide and my knees start shaking.

  “Like a teleporter?” I’m baffled.

  “Yeah, for thieves. If you’re hit or touched by it, it’ll snatch you up, too.”

  “Oh,” I shake my head because I don’t know what else to say. “Um, thank you.” I mumble. This place is full of hidden dangers and I feel like I haven’t even discovered the tip of the iceberg yet.

  Five…

  The lake rumbles again as it opens up slowly to swallow up the skate park. The sphere rises a little more, closing the skaters, riders and the park back up into its protective surface before it sinks beneath the surface once again. Kelly and Becca join Anne and I away from the railing and the people who had been gathered around us are now leaving to find other ways to entertain themselves.

  “Well, that was exciting!” Becca grins.

  “Sure was, where do we find those guys?” Kelly looks to Anne who shakes her head.

  “You really are looking for trouble aren’t you? I think after the show they go to the Other Side.”

  “Oh, poo.” Kelly fakes a pout and we all laugh. “Fine, their loss. Where to next?”

  Becca pulls the map from the cup of her bra and unfolds it, shaking it out loudly. “If we go round the lake on this side there is a ‘mystical zoo’, and then past that is all the rides.” She looks up questioningly at each of us and I nod. Zoos have always been my favorite kind of theme park, and I can’t even imagine the things that will be here that I’ve never seen before.

  “That sounds fun, but I need another drink first.” I slowly turn around in a circle looking for another tiki bar, but one isn’t in sight.

  “They’ll have one a little way down. Come on, let’s start walking.” Anne takes charge and leads us deeper into the park. I look over the lake and wonder what other things live under its deceivingly clear waters.

  The pathway starts to slope down and Kelly and I lock elbows for balance. Anne charges forward but stops quickly to look back at us. “Don’t get too close to the cages. No matter how cute something looks, OK?”

  “Aren’t they like normal zoos where it’s all protective glass and stuff?” Becca wonders aloud and by the look on Anne’s face I can already guess that not even protective glass could keep some of these strange creatures at bay.

  “Some enclosures are, some aren’t. You have to be really guarded with these animals. Some of them have telepathic powers and can convince you to open the doors if you aren’t prepared to block your mind.”

  “Sweet baby Jesus,” I cough. “How the hell do you block your mind?” I stop walking, not daring to go a foot closer until I know I won’t be the idiot who lets some vicious beast out of its cage because it broke into my weak ass mind and told me to do so.

  “Just think about walls.” I roll my eyes and Anne shrugs. “I know it sounds dumb but sometimes the simplest th
ing works. Just think of walls and how your mind is blocked from outside influences. They are just animals after all. If you’re trying to block a vampire from your mind, good fucking luck. Those bitches climb mental walls better than anything else I can think of.”

  “Ugh.” My stomach feels sick again and I clasp my hand to my lower belly. “It’s hard work being here.” I complain and everyone laughs.

  “You are such a drama queen. That show we just watched was a lot of fun and I know you can’t deny it, ‘cuz I saw that goofy, happy look you get on your face when you are totally into something.”

  “Yeah, it was super cool. Until that giant crocodile tried to crash the party.” I rub my belly as we begin walking toward the zoo again. I peek out over the lake just in case the crocodile heard me speak ill of him and wants to run up on the shore to eat me.

  “We’ll get to see him!” Anne skips ahead of us. “They have this under water viewing a bit further down. I know he’s super scary, but honestly, have you ever seen anything more beautiful? The way the sun sparkled off his scales! Awh! He’s so beautiful.” I couldn’t argue with her. He was stunning as he jumped over the floating skate park. Although, if he had snatched up that skater for lunch I don’t think I would have seen the beauty in the beast.

  Speaking of lunch, my belly growls and I groan with it. “Anne, is there a food court up ahead or something? I’m starving.”

  “Yup.” Becca chirps. “Just after the griffin’s enclosure.”

  “Griffin’s?” Kelly yells. “Like the half eagle, half lion things from Greek mythology?” Becca nods so quickly I’m afraid her head will shake right off. With new motivation we hurry down the path until a tunnel comes into view. Each of our feet slow, except for Anne who carries on.

  The tunnel looks long and dark with red bricks stacked to create an archway that could easily have been around for centuries. Painted in curly white letters over the tunnel are the words ‘To things unknown.’

  “Come on!” Anne’s voice echoes back at us from within the tunnel and Kelly, Becca and I all look at each other with uncertainty written all over our features. “I’m getting awful tired of having to drag you three along! Embrace it!” her voice ricochets off the walls of the tunnel as we enter slowly. Darkness swallows us up. My hands fly out in front of me to keep me from bumping into anything. A few more feet in front of us a green light filters through the tunnel.

  We walk slowly toward the reflections of light dancing along the floor and wall of the tunnel until the left side of the wall turns to glass. “Wow,” Becca coos and I press closer to the glass. The window allows us to see what’s happening within the lake. A dark shadow flutters above and I look up to see the pale crocodile from earlier. He’s even more massive now that I am this close and it takes four minutes for his shadow to pass over us.

  I touch the palm of my hands to the glass and watch as condensation builds from my heavy breathing. I can see creatures swimming back and forth in the world that was hidden from us until now. Small fish, large fish and fish I have never seen before, all kinds of aquatic animals are abuzz down here. A flash of neon pink catches my eye and I squint to get a better look. The color is translucent as the fin sways through the water easily.

  “It’s a mermaid!” My nose presses to the glass in my excitement and Kelly squishes her face against the glass, too.

  “No. Way.” The half fish half woman slowly glides over to where our faces are mushed to the clear panel in excitement and she smiles seductively.

  “Remember your walls.” Anne whispers and immediately I start to think of the Great Wall of China.

  The mermaid’s features are sharp and remind me of Persians I have met in the past. Her hair is long and dark and sways in the current behind her. Jewel like stones sparkle from her skin like beauty marks and her nipples are bare, also darker in color against her tan skin. I don’t know why I expected clam shells but her nudity takes me by surprise.

  Her hand reaches out and touches the glass on the other side of my hand. Her fingers spread out to mirror mine and I smile. Her other hand roams up her belly until she is cupping her substantial, naked breast. I watch as she pinches her hardened nipple between two delicate fingers and her other hand flexes near mine.

  My nipples react to her touching herself and stab the fabric of my corset like tiny rocks. Her pink tongue swipes across her plump lower lip and I feel myself pressing tighter to the glass. She grins at me and blinks her heavy eyelashes. The mermaid lifts her breast and lowers her head until that wicked pink tongue of hers lolls out to wash over the tip of her nipple.

  “Is this like a porn aquarium?” I back up but can’t take my eyes off her tongue and how it wraps around her nipple before the needy peak is sucked into her mouth.

  Anne snorts and shakes her head. “Mermaids are just whores. Don’t you remember Peter Pan?” More Disney memories skitter across my mine of the cartoon mermaids trying to drown Wendy and make me laugh.

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I’ve heard that on the Other Side you can lay in the shallows of the lake and mermaids will swim up to perform oral sex on whoever is resting in the waters.” Anne tells me in hushed tones. My head shakes again and I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing since we got here.

  “Do you think that’s true?”

  “Oh yeah.” Anne nods. “Of course I do. Look at her.” She tips her chin toward the dirty little mermaid who is now trailing a tiny finger down the glass where Kelly’s belly rests on the other side. They fish woman’s eyelids are heavy and her breast lift and fall like she is panting.

  “Can we go?” Kelly purrs the words, her sex frazzled brain making her words sound breathy.

  “No!” I snap unbelieving such a meek girl would want to basically use a mermaid prostitute and she turns around. My voice having yanked her from the mermaid’s mental grasp.

  “What?” She shakes her head like I have been and walks over to Anne and I. “What did you ask?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Anne smiles and slips her arm around Kelly’s shoulder. “Let’s move on shall we?”

  “Yeah,” Kelly gives one last look at the fish woman and they both wave longingly to each other as Anne pulls Kelly through the rest of the tunnel. The tunnel is straight and moves up hill as we leave the viewing of the lake behind. When we emerge from the underground walkway, a fake little town greets us.

  Buildings in all shapes and colors line the pathway, each offering different goods or foods and drinks. We walk slowly as we peruse the booths of jewelry and tee shirts with sayings like “I survived Freak Show”. Some booths hold pamphlets with information on the animals housed in the zoo and I snag a few as we pass by to look over later and use them as a fan, splaying them out in my right hand and waving them in front of my face as we move on.

  “Oh! There’s the griffin house.” Becca informs us and we change directions to check out the magnificent creatures.

  “What about food? Can’t we grab something from here first?” I lift my nose as I sniff the air. I think I smell fried dough.

  “After!” Becca says firmly and I stick out my tongue at her.

  Again, thick glass is between us and the beautifully dangerous creatures. They remind me of bald eagles at normal zoos. They’re too powerful and too stunning to be comfortable here in a cage. There are three of them and they pace back and forth. They turn their giant heads and intelligent eyes pierce us as they notice more viewers have come to spy on them.

  “They look restless.” I say softly and Anne shrugs.

  “It’s the only safe place in this world for them, Serenity.” Her eyes are focused on the half lion, half eagles before us. “Think of all the poachers who would kill to have one mounted in his smoking room or the billiards hall. They would kill them for sport because they think its “cool” to own a griffin,” She pauses only long enough to look at me. “They may look unhappy but they’re alive. Just like the unicorns.” Her face lights up as she squeaks the last wor
d.

  “Unicorns? Stop teasing me.” I gently shove her and she laughs.

  “They’re up ahead, just a bit farther.” Kelly informs us with her nose in the map and Becca lets out a happy scream that ruffles the griffin’s wings.

  With a new kick in our step we hurry from the griffin house and up through the pretend street. Again, we begin to mosey and it’s a pace I’m enjoying. There is so much to see and people watching means a whole other thing here in this park.

  Flames from the promised tiki bar catch my eye and I grab my girls to scurry over there. The bartender here is a woman with long red hair. Much darker red than mine and so much longer than mine as well. It curls sweetly over one shoulder and her uniform is so tight the fabric puckers in places. Her name tag says “Candy”.

  “Hi Candy!” I smile brightly and lean on her bar. “Can I get a good time?”

  “Of course Miss, may I see your wrist band first?” As she moves towards me her outfit squeaks softly against itself. I hold up my cuffed wrist and she nods then turns to mix my magical alcohol. I take it from her when she offers it and thank her.

  Now armed with a fresh drink, I want to see some damn unicorns! I suck the straw between my lips and my eyes roll back into my head. A small moan shakes the back of my throat at the taste of the sweet drink. “I forgot how good this is.” I tell myself out loud.

  “It’s right there.” Kelly points across the street at a building that is pretty cheesy, even for this place. A barn painted like a cloud with a rainbow streaked across the doorway has a wooden unicorn covered in glitter with its hoof lifted towards the doors.

  Like a group of school girls we run towards the glitter and push open the doors. It smells exactly like a horse barn at the state fair. Hot and nasty. I cover my nose with the animal information pamphlets and we move closer to the first stall.

  Hay covers the ground and a water pail hangs from the side. Really it’s nothing magical or inspiring like I expected. There is no unicorn in this stall and with grumps of displeasure we move forward. There are still no beautiful horned horses in the next five stalls.