I had begun to walk along the outskirts of the carnival at a slow pace. Just standing there talking was burning daylight and I had places to be. Michael followed closely behind like a lost dog. She tilted her head some at me as her voice shifts from curiosity to bit of fear, “Why are you crying? Did I mess something up? I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.” She looks away as if to give me privacy.
As I wasn’t crying I sighed, “You did nothing I assure you. Unlike most, words don’t cut so deep for me. Don’t get yourself in such a mess over it.” I dried my hands on my pants from not crying, “Now if I may ask, why are you even out here getting stuck in crowds like that?”
Michael was hesitant to reply, “Well, I guess I was missing the old days. Me and Rosey first met out here years ago. Though it was a lot less crowded.”
I then asked a question, only to learn more about her as a resident of the lodge to better cater to her needs, “Is there a reason you are seeking that feeling out? Maybe an amenity at the lodge isn’t to your standards? I could put a word in for you to Wendell to get the repairs made in a timely manner by yours truly."
She shook her head, “No it’s not anything like that. I guess I’m really just missing home. Somewhere that I already know who everyone is and who they were. I would say I also missed things being simpler but that’s just a lie. Things weren’t simpler, I just wasn’t as aware. I wasn’t thinking too much so I could fend for myself. Things are so different out here. I feel like I’m stuck with an egg and a ladder trying to make things work.”
I blinked a few times at the last statement as I followed her logic until that point. My pace even slowed down a minute as I tried to process it.
She looked at me in curiosity again, “Do you miss home sometimes? I heard you were from Italy. It must be much more different being so far away and all.”
A thoughtful expression grew on my face at the question, “I do miss my family. The caring mother and loud siblings; them all welcoming in their father as he comes home from work.” I watched the busy crowds to our right with a faint smile, “The smell of breakfast wafting into the air of the large halls.”
She watched me intently as I took a deep relieving breath. She almost looked to be trying to understand why I was so relaxed before speaking up, “You must have loved them alot.”
“I must have.” I straightened my tie and stopped entertaining the idea, “But we are here now. I now live in the cheapest home of the entire town being the lowly butler of a border line psychopathic family business. All because of money and safety.”
She scoffed, “Psychopathic is an understatement. Sometimes I feel guilty for even being here. Makes me wonder if my job is really all that worth it in the end.”
My curiosity peaked this time. I wasn’t sure if it was intended but her wording led me to believe she could be a new hire for Wendell as well, “Your job makes you feel guilty too? Is it the outrageous pay or maybe the secrecy of it?”
A sickly look glazes over her face telling me everything I needed to know, “Both really. I just have a bad feeling about it all.”
Though what could someone this brittle and anxious even be paid to do for a family so focused on physical brawn? “I feel the same way. The job description I received from Wendell was reasonable but in practice were a few additional demands that I was not prepared for. I had already signed the contract. If I backed out now I wouldn’t see a penny of that money I’ve been promised.”
I slowed to a stop near a tent. It was towards the furthest edge of the carnival and shrouded with dark royal purple fabrics. It was decorated in shimmering golden stars that gently spun on the strings they were hung by. Beside it was an old wooden sign that must have been around ages before most of the carnival. On it was some cursive writing in gold, “The Wicker’s Woven Fortune.”
She stopped beside me as well and eyed the sign, “You came here for fortune telling? I coulda sworn you wouldn’t have been into superstitious stuff like that.”
I gave a light huff, “I’ve always been more of a man of logic and facts. I am not seeking out for someone to tell me comforting lies. I am here for information from the person selling those lies. There’s been some odd occurrences lately and I am to get to the bottom of it before it gets out of hand and becomes some phony witch hunt for a monster that doesn’t exist while the real culprit gets away. It’s happened far too often in this town and I won’t stand for it to happen to me.”
She becomes quieter, “Well uh. About that... I did see a creature, a real one. It had legit wings separate from its arms, not like nonferal birds, and it could fly.”
I rolled my eyes and grumbled at her, “Yeah yeah I know. Porcelain white arms with a cloak and eyes. I’ll have you know the window of my room looks out in that direction of the woods as well. And contrary to the others in that pigstie, I don’t sleep like a baby when there's no locks on the doors. I was woken up by the gnawing as well and saw you meet it. I only chose not to intervene as you seemed to have had it handled.”
“Handled?!?” she exclaimed, “I was scared for my life! That thing got this close to turning me into soup.”
“Fine. Next time I will make myself known but this time it chose not to hurt you. Now if I’m not mistaken this person has a reason they were here and that was for Wendell’s weakness. If they intended on harming you that would have already been said and done by now.”
She retorted with folded arms, “Threatening my life for information sounds like harm to me.”
I hold up a finger, “Sounds like. Doesn’t mean it necessarily is. They have a motive, creature or not, and thus they have a trail I can find. Something causing them to fuel such a need,” I gesture to the entrance of the tent, “And in that stall is the oldest worker of the entire carnival. They used to work back when they even traveled. If it was ever said, then they must have heard. As a cheap fortune teller it’s quite literally your business to get in everyone else’s business.”
She puts her arms back down, “Ok. But try not to offend them? You don’t exactly talk like someone who could leave a fortune teller's tent without getting a lifetime ban.”
I snorted as I approached the tent, “Logic is much more understandable than you portray it darling. I won’t get banned simply for telling the truth. That would be ridiculous behavior from two adults having a reasonable discussion."
“Then call me a fortune teller cause I’m predicting you will be in the VERY near future.”
I pushed aside the curtain of beads to enter the tent with my head held up high and a hospitable smile. Michael who was following behind me was much less friendly as she kept her head down as she entered.