Read Online Circus: Fantasy Under the Big Top by Ekaterina Sedia - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ekaterina Sedia
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to escape.
A part of me knew, knew I’d been taken for a fool, knew that Kally had never wanted to escape. And yet, the memory of her music played on inside my mind. The wonder of what she was—a marvellous thinking, feeling machine—would not leave. I loved her and despised myself for my weakness. Love and hate, lust and loathing, gold and lead transmuted within my soul until I ached with a pain born of their union. Ah, Eros, you are a capricious child!
I had no idea of where the Circus was headed next. North or South? Inland to Parramatta and settlements west? Whichever way they had gone, they had a half-day start on me. And who was I trying to fool anyway? The walk from the Domain had nearly killed me. I could go no further.
I folded the blueprints and placed them carefully in my jacket pocket. I would keep them, just in case.
For the rest of the afternoon I sat there, under a tree, watching children play cricket in the fields. The children ran, and laughed, and their competition was fierce but, even above the crack of the bat and their raucous cheers, the haunting strains of Calliope music still pricked at my heart.
Welcome to the Greatest Show in the Universe
Deborah Walker
The flexible metal wallings shrouding the Circosphere wavered as the shuttle craft drew too close. In the control booth, Jinkers Morrell sighed. “Shuttle craft . . . ” She checked on her computer for the name of the vehicle and sighed again. “Shuttle craft Coco the Clown . You are in violation of the space boundary of this facility. A repeat offence will result in immediate cancellation of your free circus passes.”
The space craft’s communications array activated. Jinkers saw the faces of two teenage boys.
“Whatever happened to the famous Amazing Galaxy Show welcome?” asked the young pilot. He was wearing an illuminated clown nose. It was flashing.
“You’ve been notified,” said Jinkers. She switched off the array and turned to Mr Barrie who ran the external protocols for the station. “Does that happen a lot?” she asked.
Mr Barrie was monitoring the craft on his computer, making sure that it did indeed return to the proscribed space runs. “Yes, Gaffer. A couple of times a day.”
Jinkers looked over his shoulder. She was glad to see that those clowns were able to follow the route inside. “Any significance to the pattern?” she asked.
“No, Gaffer. Kids from all over the colonies like to push the boundaries.”
Jinkers Morrell ran the Circosphere. She was a fine administrator. As part of her duties she ensured that she did every job on the station at least once a year. Today she’d been monitoring the arrival of the punters, overseeing the integrity of the outer Circosphere.
“Thank you, Mr Barrie, I can see that you’ve got everything running smoothly here—as usual.”
“Thank you, Gaffer.”
Jinkers could see that he wanted to say something more. She smiled at him, giving him an opportunity to ask, “Is everything all right, Gaffer?”
To most people she would have answered, “Sure, everything’s great.” But this was Mr Barrie. Jinkers had started her circus career here, in this control booth. So instead, she said, “No, sir. I’m afraid not, something is wrong with my circus. I can feel it. I just don’t know what it is yet.”
“Aye, I thought so. I’ll let you get on then.”
Just telling someone made her feel better. Jinkers said her goodbyes and headed back to her office.
Jinkers walked past the Theatre of Laughter where the clowns played out the soap-opera dramas which were televised and transmitted to the colonies. The clowns wore only tokens of their traditional dress, perhaps bright buttons on a spacesuit or white make-up for the lead actresses. But they were still clowns attuned to the humour and pathos of the human condition. The punters packed the stalls. These actors were superstars in the colonies. She walked past the Theatre of Culture where the art works of Earth were
A part of me knew, knew I’d been taken for a fool, knew that Kally had never wanted to escape. And yet, the memory of her music played on inside my mind. The wonder of what she was—a marvellous thinking, feeling machine—would not leave. I loved her and despised myself for my weakness. Love and hate, lust and loathing, gold and lead transmuted within my soul until I ached with a pain born of their union. Ah, Eros, you are a capricious child!
I had no idea of where the Circus was headed next. North or South? Inland to Parramatta and settlements west? Whichever way they had gone, they had a half-day start on me. And who was I trying to fool anyway? The walk from the Domain had nearly killed me. I could go no further.
I folded the blueprints and placed them carefully in my jacket pocket. I would keep them, just in case.
For the rest of the afternoon I sat there, under a tree, watching children play cricket in the fields. The children ran, and laughed, and their competition was fierce but, even above the crack of the bat and their raucous cheers, the haunting strains of Calliope music still pricked at my heart.
Welcome to the Greatest Show in the Universe
Deborah Walker
The flexible metal wallings shrouding the Circosphere wavered as the shuttle craft drew too close. In the control booth, Jinkers Morrell sighed. “Shuttle craft . . . ” She checked on her computer for the name of the vehicle and sighed again. “Shuttle craft Coco the Clown . You are in violation of the space boundary of this facility. A repeat offence will result in immediate cancellation of your free circus passes.”
The space craft’s communications array activated. Jinkers saw the faces of two teenage boys.
“Whatever happened to the famous Amazing Galaxy Show welcome?” asked the young pilot. He was wearing an illuminated clown nose. It was flashing.
“You’ve been notified,” said Jinkers. She switched off the array and turned to Mr Barrie who ran the external protocols for the station. “Does that happen a lot?” she asked.
Mr Barrie was monitoring the craft on his computer, making sure that it did indeed return to the proscribed space runs. “Yes, Gaffer. A couple of times a day.”
Jinkers looked over his shoulder. She was glad to see that those clowns were able to follow the route inside. “Any significance to the pattern?” she asked.
“No, Gaffer. Kids from all over the colonies like to push the boundaries.”
Jinkers Morrell ran the Circosphere. She was a fine administrator. As part of her duties she ensured that she did every job on the station at least once a year. Today she’d been monitoring the arrival of the punters, overseeing the integrity of the outer Circosphere.
“Thank you, Mr Barrie, I can see that you’ve got everything running smoothly here—as usual.”
“Thank you, Gaffer.”
Jinkers could see that he wanted to say something more. She smiled at him, giving him an opportunity to ask, “Is everything all right, Gaffer?”
To most people she would have answered, “Sure, everything’s great.” But this was Mr Barrie. Jinkers had started her circus career here, in this control booth. So instead, she said, “No, sir. I’m afraid not, something is wrong with my circus. I can feel it. I just don’t know what it is yet.”
“Aye, I thought so. I’ll let you get on then.”
Just telling someone made her feel better. Jinkers said her goodbyes and headed back to her office.
Jinkers walked past the Theatre of Laughter where the clowns played out the soap-opera dramas which were televised and transmitted to the colonies. The clowns wore only tokens of their traditional dress, perhaps bright buttons on a spacesuit or white make-up for the lead actresses. But they were still clowns attuned to the humour and pathos of the human condition. The punters packed the stalls. These actors were superstars in the colonies. She walked past the Theatre of Culture where the art works of Earth were
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