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Description
The Lady

“OWW!” Kyle yelped as his father’s hand clipped the back of his head.

“Language!” Rick barked as Kyle scowled and rubbed his scalp. Rick looked down at the box. “Are they…?” Rick started to ask but found himself unable to finish. He stared at a handful of clear gemstones that sat amongst several pieces of thick, metallic, ostrich-sized egg-shell.

“Diamonds,” Mr. Tzin confirmed, “and gold. Both have been kindly donated by an associate of mine, whom I had hoped would be joining us here. ” He looked poignantly towards Gu Yan who simply shrugged dismissively.

Rick looked up at Mr. Tzin. “And you’re gonna buy the carnival with this?”

“Dad, he could by a city block with this!” Kyle exclaimed, unable to look away from the treasure inside the box.

Mr. Tzin shook his head. He folded the cloth over the gold and jewels, and replaced the lid of the box. “As I said, I do not wish to buy your carnival. I only wish to secure its future… and yours.”

“But why?” Rick asked. “I mean, we’ve barely broke even in months. People just aren’t interested in what we’ve got to offer anymore. So, what’s so interesting to you and your ‘associate’ about a failing freak show?”

Mr. Tzin frowned. Another chill pierced his breast bone and he willed it away. “I do not like that term, Mr. Maguire,” he said firmly. He stood up and took a step towards the man. Despite Rick’s height – almost a foot taller than Mr. Tzin – the Chinese man showed no signs of being intimidated. “In my many years of travel I have seen much… I have seen things that would chill you to the core… things that, were you to witness them for yourself, unprepared, they would drive you to the brink of madness. I have seen men and women alike, afflicted by conditions so terrible that they would make those here seem quite normal by comparison, and in all that time I have never – not once – been inclined to call them ‘freaks’. Your son said it himself – they are people, just like you and I. They deserve respect. They deserve a place of safety where they can live as themselves and not as some… attraction, named and fashioned for the entertainment of others. They are entitled to a life, just like everyone else!”

Throughout his speech Mr. Tzin had continued to advance on Rick, who had backed away one step at a time, until he felt the wooden beam of one of the stalls behind him. With nowhere else to go, he had watched as Mr. Tzin approach until his face was no more than a few inches from his own. When a silence passed between them, Rick took a breath.

“You’re right,” he confessed. “I’m sorry. I guess I get caught up in what everyone else says we are… were… and that’s my bad. But how else is this fr… carnival… supposed to survive?”

“Talent,” Mr. Tzin replied without blinking. “Talent, and illusion.” Rick frowned and shook his head. It was obvious that he didn’t understand. Mr. Tzin turned away from him and returned to the table. He reached for the box that still laid there and lifted the lid. He removed one of the diamonds from inside it and held it between two fingers into the air so that everyone around him could see it. “Most people love to delude themselves,” he continued. “They do so every day of their lives. Illusion can serve to feed that. Watch.” He clicked the fingers that held the diamond. It didn’t fall from his hand to the ground, but simply disappeared. A few people around the tent gasped. Mr. Tzin looked over his shoulder towards Rick. “Check your pocket, Mr. Maguire.”

Rick patted around the pockets of his jeans, and froze when his hand tapped at his rear and felt a small, hard lump in the bottom of his back pocket. He reached into the denim and pulled out what he had felt there. It was the diamond. Some of the onlookers applauded.

“How’d you do that?” he asked.

“How do you think I did it?” Mr. Tzin countered.

Rick paused for a moment before answering. “You slipped it in my pocket while you were up close in my face a minute ago,” he offered.

“You see?” Mr. Tzin spoke to the crowd. “Delusion. Mr. Maguire seeks a rational explanation for what just happened, just like most people seek rational explanations for everything else that is wondrous around them.” He turned back to face Rick. “Is there no possible way you could believe that I used magic – real magic – to put it there?”

Rick let out a short laugh. “There’s no such…”

The diamond burst into flames between his fingers. Rick snatched his hand away from the burning flare, while Mr. Tzin raised his own hand. Another flame burst to life between his fingers and, as it died away, he held his fingers out once more. The diamond was back between them, and glittered in the brightening morning sun.

“Are you going to tell me that I placed a fake diamond in your pocket… one that would explode at just the right moment of drama? That the real diamond never left my possession?”

Rick hesitated. “It’s possible,” he said.

“It is also possible that I used real magic… if you choose to believe that such a thing exists,” Mr. Tzin replied. He stepped around the table and approached the hairy young man in the varsity jacket. “Master Khonsu is as real as you and I. You know it. You believe it. But somebody else might think that he is nothing more than a man in a costume, that he has been made to look the way he does purely for their entertainment. I am certain that some of your patrons came to this place and chose not to believe what they saw. Some may have demanded their money back. Some may even have become abusive and made threats to you, simply because you are different from them.” Several heads nodded.

“What’s your point?” Rick asked.

“My point is that people delude themselves. They prefer a lie of rationality instead of belief in the truth of what is before their eyes, Mr. Maguire,” Mr. Tzin smiled. “After all, no-one looks at a clown and believes that their skin is truly white, or that their nose is round and scarlet red. Their delusions can be your protection. If they believe that you wear costumes and masks, then let them believe that. Instead of allowing your differences to be the source of their entertainment, allow your talent to bring marvel into their lives. I am sure you all have skills. You should use them. Besides, people are not ready to face the truth of things, and perhaps they will not be ready for many years. They fear what they do not understand and, as history has proven, they only seek to destroy that which they fear. Take away their fear, and they have no reason to bring you harm.”

“You’re asking us to wear masks,” a voice from the gathering called out, “to pretend to be something we’re not.”

Mr. Tzin turned towards the voice. “I am asking you to be yourselves,” he said, “but to let them believe that you wear the masks. You do not have to hide. You are a carnival, and a carnival is a place of joy and celebration… of music, dance, and song… and of masquerade. That is what it says on the gate to this place, so why not live it? Become the carnival you truly are… a Carnival of Secrets, where the truth is hidden in plain sight.”

Several of the gathering applauded, but the sound died down again as Rick shook his head. “That might well work for someone like Connor,” he said, “but what about Travis?”

At the mention of his name, Travis entered the canopy once more. A figure walked beside him dressed in a green satin kimono that was adorned with oriental dragon patterns. The shape of the figure was that of a woman. A veil of shimmering green satin lace covered her head and face in such an unusual shape as to suggest she wore a large tied-up hairstyle or some elaborate headdress beneath.

“What about Travis?” Travis grumbled. He did not expect a reply, nor did he wait for one. As he came into clearer view the crowd saw that his arm was raised slightly in the way that a gentleman would escort a lady. He led the figure towards Mr. Tzin and, as she released her hold of his arm and bowed to him, what could have passed for a smile crossed the shark-man’s face. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and then he retreated back to the edge of the canopy. The question still hung in the air as the woman took Mr. Tzin’s arm and looked around the assembly of people under the canvas. Everyone watched her and Mr. Tzin closely. Even Kyle had stood up from the bench when he saw her approach.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Mr. Tzin addressed the gathering, “allow me to present to you Tian Quing She, my associate… and my very dear friend.” The lady bowed, and Mr. Tzin turned to her. His voice lowered to one that was soft and gentle. “You may remove your veil, my lady,” he said, “you are quite safe here.” The woman appeared hesitant at first. Her head looked around the crowd but, as Mr. Tzin laid a hand over her own to reassure her she nodded, then lifted her hands to the veil and pulled it away. The sudden intake of breath from people within the gathering was almost tangible as she revealed herself, a tall and slender woman whose head was bald, and cowled like that of a cobra. Scales covered much of the fleshy hood as well as her neck, scalp and a part of her face where the scales blended into skin. She lowered her eyes almost submissively as the people around stared at her. A voice beside her suddenly spoke, and she looked up towards it.

“She’s beautiful!” Kyle breathed.

Description
The Lady

“OWW!” Kyle yelped as his father’s hand clipped the back of his head.

“Language!” Rick barked as Kyle scowled and rubbed his scalp. Rick looked down at the box. “Are they…?” Rick started to ask but found himself unable to finish. He stared at a handful of clear gemstones that sat amongst several pieces of thick, metallic, ostrich-sized egg-shell.

“Diamonds,” Mr. Tzin confirmed, “and gold. Both have been kindly donated by an associate of mine, whom I had hoped would be joining us here. ” He looked poignantly towards Gu Yan who simply shrugged dismissively.

Rick looked up at Mr. Tzin. “And you’re gonna buy the carnival with this?”

“Dad, he could by a city block with this!” Kyle exclaimed, unable to look away from the treasure inside the box.

Mr. Tzin shook his head. He folded the cloth over the gold and jewels, and replaced the lid of the box. “As I said, I do not wish to buy your carnival. I only wish to secure its future… and yours.”

“But why?” Rick asked. “I mean, we’ve barely broke even in months. People just aren’t interested in what we’ve got to offer anymore. So, what’s so interesting to you and your ‘associate’ about a failing freak show?”

Mr. Tzin frowned. Another chill pierced his breast bone and he willed it away. “I do not like that term, Mr. Maguire,” he said firmly. He stood up and took a step towards the man. Despite Rick’s height – almost a foot taller than Mr. Tzin – the Chinese man showed no signs of being intimidated. “In my many years of travel I have seen much… I have seen things that would chill you to the core… things that, were you to witness them for yourself, unprepared, they would drive you to the brink of madness. I have seen men and women alike, afflicted by conditions so terrible that they would make those here seem quite normal by comparison, and in all that time I have never – not once – been inclined to call them ‘freaks’. Your son said it himself – they are people, just like you and I. They deserve respect. They deserve a place of safety where they can live as themselves and not as some… attraction, named and fashioned for the entertainment of others. They are entitled to a life, just like everyone else!”

Throughout his speech Mr. Tzin had continued to advance on Rick, who had backed away one step at a time, until he felt the wooden beam of one of the stalls behind him. With nowhere else to go, he had watched as Mr. Tzin approach until his face was no more than a few inches from his own. When a silence passed between them, Rick took a breath.

“You’re right,” he confessed. “I’m sorry. I guess I get caught up in what everyone else says we are… were… and that’s my bad. But how else is this fr… carnival… supposed to survive?”

“Talent,” Mr. Tzin replied without blinking. “Talent, and illusion.” Rick frowned and shook his head. It was obvious that he didn’t understand. Mr. Tzin turned away from him and returned to the table. He reached for the box that still laid there and lifted the lid. He removed one of the diamonds from inside it and held it between two fingers into the air so that everyone around him could see it. “Most people love to delude themselves,” he continued. “They do so every day of their lives. Illusion can serve to feed that. Watch.” He clicked the fingers that held the diamond. It didn’t fall from his hand to the ground, but simply disappeared. A few people around the tent gasped. Mr. Tzin looked over his shoulder towards Rick. “Check your pocket, Mr. Maguire.”

Rick patted around the pockets of his jeans, and froze when his hand tapped at his rear and felt a small, hard lump in the bottom of his back pocket. He reached into the denim and pulled out what he had felt there. It was the diamond. Some of the onlookers applauded.

“How’d you do that?” he asked.

“How do you think I did it?” Mr. Tzin countered.

Rick paused for a moment before answering. “You slipped it in my pocket while you were up close in my face a minute ago,” he offered.

“You see?” Mr. Tzin spoke to the crowd. “Delusion. Mr. Maguire seeks a rational explanation for what just happened, just like most people seek rational explanations for everything else that is wondrous around them.” He turned back to face Rick. “Is there no possible way you could believe that I used magic – real magic – to put it there?”

Rick let out a short laugh. “There’s no such…”

The diamond burst into flames between his fingers. Rick snatched his hand away from the burning flare, while Mr. Tzin raised his own hand. Another flame burst to life between his fingers and, as it died away, he held his fingers out once more. The diamond was back between them, and glittered in the brightening morning sun.

“Are you going to tell me that I placed a fake diamond in your pocket… one that would explode at just the right moment of drama? That the real diamond never left my possession?”

Rick hesitated. “It’s possible,” he said.

“It is also possible that I used real magic… if you choose to believe that such a thing exists,” Mr. Tzin replied. He stepped around the table and approached the hairy young man in the varsity jacket. “Master Khonsu is as real as you and I. You know it. You believe it. But somebody else might think that he is nothing more than a man in a costume, that he has been made to look the way he does purely for their entertainment. I am certain that some of your patrons came to this place and chose not to believe what they saw. Some may have demanded their money back. Some may even have become abusive and made threats to you, simply because you are different from them.” Several heads nodded.

“What’s your point?” Rick asked.

“My point is that people delude themselves. They prefer a lie of rationality instead of belief in the truth of what is before their eyes, Mr. Maguire,” Mr. Tzin smiled. “After all, no-one looks at a clown and believes that their skin is truly white, or that their nose is round and scarlet red. Their delusions can be your protection. If they believe that you wear costumes and masks, then let them believe that. Instead of allowing your differences to be the source of their entertainment, allow your talent to bring marvel into their lives. I am sure you all have skills. You should use them. Besides, people are not ready to face the truth of things, and perhaps they will not be ready for many years. They fear what they do not understand and, as history has proven, they only seek to destroy that which they fear. Take away their fear, and they have no reason to bring you harm.”

“You’re asking us to wear masks,” a voice from the gathering called out, “to pretend to be something we’re not.”

Mr. Tzin turned towards the voice. “I am asking you to be yourselves,” he said, “but to let them believe that you wear the masks. You do not have to hide. You are a carnival, and a carnival is a place of joy and celebration… of music, dance, and song… and of masquerade. That is what it says on the gate to this place, so why not live it? Become the carnival you truly are… a Carnival of Secrets, where the truth is hidden in plain sight.”

Several of the gathering applauded, but the sound died down again as Rick shook his head. “That might well work for someone like Connor,” he said, “but what about Travis?”

At the mention of his name, Travis entered the canopy once more. A figure walked beside him dressed in a green satin kimono that was adorned with oriental dragon patterns. The shape of the figure was that of a woman. A veil of shimmering green satin lace covered her head and face in such an unusual shape as to suggest she wore a large tied-up hairstyle or some elaborate headdress beneath.

“What about Travis?” Travis grumbled. He did not expect a reply, nor did he wait for one. As he came into clearer view the crowd saw that his arm was raised slightly in the way that a gentleman would escort a lady. He led the figure towards Mr. Tzin and, as she released her hold of his arm and bowed to him, what could have passed for a smile crossed the shark-man’s face. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and then he retreated back to the edge of the canopy. The question still hung in the air as the woman took Mr. Tzin’s arm and looked around the assembly of people under the canvas. Everyone watched her and Mr. Tzin closely. Even Kyle had stood up from the bench when he saw her approach.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Mr. Tzin addressed the gathering, “allow me to present to you Tian Quing She, my associate… and my very dear friend.” The lady bowed, and Mr. Tzin turned to her. His voice lowered to one that was soft and gentle. “You may remove your veil, my lady,” he said, “you are quite safe here.” The woman appeared hesitant at first. Her head looked around the crowd but, as Mr. Tzin laid a hand over her own to reassure her she nodded, then lifted her hands to the veil and pulled it away. The sudden intake of breath from people within the gathering was almost tangible as she revealed herself, a tall and slender woman whose head was bald, and cowled like that of a cobra. Scales covered much of the fleshy hood as well as her neck, scalp and a part of her face where the scales blended into skin. She lowered her eyes almost submissively as the people around stared at her. A voice beside her suddenly spoke, and she looked up towards it.

“She’s beautiful!” Kyle breathed.