Free Circus: Fantasy Under the Big Top by Ekaterina Sedia Page B

piece of research. It certainly justified the astronomical expense of running the Circosphere. Resources and prestige would follow in the wake of this discovery.
    “Bella wants to know if you want to come to dinner tonight.”
    “Great. Set it up with my secretary.”
    Jinkers worked through the rest of the reports. There were changes in the food preferences in sector six. That needed to be monitored, changes in colony preferences was important information for Earth Central’s massive distribution centres. But she couldn’t concentrate on her work. Her mind kept returning to Brent’s discovery. Precognitive development in the punters? She felt dizzy. She was the edge of a precipice. She wrote out her report and e-posted it to Earth Central. Who would have dreamed that humanity stood on the threshold of such an amazing development?
    Dreams—Jinkers had been remembering some strange dreams lately. Dreams of wandering down long tunnels, looking through glass walls to see a spiral stairway reaching to the stars. She pulled up a report from the dream scientist team. Yes, there had been changes in the frequency and quality of the dreams in both staff and the punters. But instead of calling in the scientists for a detailed report, Jinkers decided upon a somewhat less orthodox approach.
    “Got to look my best for this visit,” she said to Horatio, as she pulled out a mirror from her desk drawer. She applied some skin brightening moisturiser and a natural coloured lipstick. “Not that I can compete with her. Say, Horatio, how do I look?”
    But aesthetic judgements were not within the ken of her pet, and he only responded to her question with his reptilian gaze, before returning his attention to view of the stars.
    “You’re not much help.” Judging for herself in the mirror, Jinkers announced “You’ll do,” before striding out of her office to seek out the mystery of dreams within the tent of Madam Zelda.
    Zelda had the kind of beauty that made men sigh and women grimace in despair. She wasn’t young, but she was youthful, growing inexplicably more attractive with age. And, rather annoyingly, she was a lovely person, too.
    Zelda was a dream reader and fortune teller. Brent told Jinkers that she merely read the body language of the punters. And Jinkers believed that, but in the presence of Zelda that knowledge seemed to fade. Zelda commanded you to believe in her magic.
    “Jinkers, how lovely to see you. It’s been too long. How’s Horatio?” Zelda invariably asked after her pet.
    “It’s lovely to see you, too, Zelda. Horatio’s okay. He’s been off his food, lately.”
    “He senses the trouble in the Circosphere. Wise creatures, the reptiles, old creatures.”
    Jinkers raised an eyebrow. “What do you know, Zelda?”
    “There have many strange dreams lately. Sit down, my dear. Let me read your fortune for you.”
    Jinkers reached for the pack of cards that rested on the table between them.
    Zelda, put her hand over the cards. “No, not those. I think the situation calls for something different.” She reached for a different, older pack of cards. “These were my grandmother’s cards.”
    “What’s wrong with the other ones?” asked Jinkers.
    “Choose three cards, my dear.”
    Jinkers moved her hand over the old, worn cards, then she quickly laid three cards on the table. She had selected, The Stranger, The Sideshow and The Void.
    Zelda stared at the cards. She had lost some of her poise. For the first time Jinkers could see age resting in her friend’s face.
    “What’s wrong, Zelda?”
    “Dreams have been touching many minds lately. It betokens something, something extraordinary.” Zelda smiled. “The cards are unclear, as they always are, my dear. But I will say this to you: look underneath the surface of your problems. There are unseen layers in our universe.”
    “I’d hoped for something a little more specific, Zelda.”
    “Don’t worry, Jinkers. The answers will come to you soon. Use