Free Circus Galacticus by Deva Fagan Page B

Hope." Sirra's got beauty and power all right, but what she inspires in me isn't hope. More like loathing.
    The last entry is for "The Lightbearer: Dappled in Light and Dark, she Illuminates the Treachery of the King." That must be Dalmatian, with her spotted skin and light-bending powers.
    It goes on into descriptions of each act. I skim the entire book pretty quickly. By the time the Ringmaster comes back, I'm rereading the last few acts.
    He's changed his coat to a blindingly lime-green version, and there's something that resembles a singed bullet hole in the crown of his top hat. But he slides gracefully into his chair with the air of someone who's just taken a refreshing stroll in the park.
    "So?" he asks. "What do you think?"
    "It's sort of like a fairy tale or something. But it's—sorry—a little weird."
    The Ringmaster nods and mm-hmms in a way that doesn't tell me anything useful, so I continue. "These Dreamer people want to reach the stars, so they try a bunch of different things. But the King and his Minions stop them every time, and then finally the Oracle tells them to go to the Tree of Life. So they go and—is there
really
an act that involves dancing fruit?"
    "It's quite a crowd pleaser, actually," says the Ringmaster.
    "If you say so. Anyway, they get the magic beans. But for some reason, they need to dunk them in the King's fires to make them grow, so the Trickster helps them do that. And then he disappears, and so does the King, and everyone lives happily ever after, which makes no sense."
    He leans forward, drumming his fingers against the jeweled top of his baton. "Why?"
    "There's something missing."
    "Ah." He leans back again, looking remarkably pleased with himself. "I knew you were clever. Please, elucidate."
    "Well, for one, the Iron King fellow causes all this trouble and then what? He just goes away and lets them fly up into the stars at the end? There ought to be a big fight or something. And the description of the Lightbearer talks about her revealing treachery, but that never happens." I thump the book down on the table. "Why are there twelve editions? There's something you're not explaining."
    "Many things, in point of fact," says the Ringmaster. "Infuriating, isn't it? But if I sent you to the corner market to buy bread, you'd go straight to the bakery section, pick up your loaf, and be off. There might be perfectly ripe tomatoes and cans of curried sardines, and you'd walk right on by without even taking notice."
    "If I saw curried sardines, I'd
definitely
keep walking," I say. "And what if you really needed bread?"
    "The point is, most people become blind if they're told what to do."
    "Are you going to explain about the twelve editions or not?"
    "Twelve editions," echoes a clear, sharp voice from across the room. It's the blonde. "Twelve characters."
    "Oh, now, that's cheating," protests the Ringmaster, but I'm already opening the book to the front and peering at the cast list.
    "She's right. There are twelve of them." I tap my finger under the last entry. "The Lightbearer is Dalmatian. And she was the last one to join, before me. So the Big Top creates a new
Programme
whenever a new person comes on board? No, that can't be right, because there's more than twelve of us. What? Why are you smiling like that?"
    "You said 'us.'"
    "Maybe I shouldn't have. I'm not in
The Programme.
"
    "Not every new member of the troupe produces a new edition of
The Programme.
"
    "But you thought I might." Now I understand that look he'd had, earlier, staring at the book. My insides sink, dragging me deeper into the chair.
    "Chin up, Beatrix. You'll make a brilliant Clown, for the time being."
    "For the time being?"
    "Until something changes. No, don't ask. Remember the sardines."
    "I don't understand, though, why you bother calling people Clowns and Principals and Freaks. They're all in here in
The Programme,
one way or another."
    He pauses, like he's not sure which answer to give me. Finally he says,