The Carnival

Here they come!!! Yay!!! Down the street marched the Jester band and right in the middle of the marching genies came the big brass gong being carried by two giants in flowing black robes with shining gold trims and beads. And the Master of the band, wielding the large mallet was “The Striker” in his flowing purple, red, and gold robes and turban and burgundy slippers swinging along with that familiar stride. His long gray beard flowing out behind him in the breeze, he brought back his large muscled arm and with a mighty swing, he struck the big gong and out of the brass gong came a deep and resonating BOOM that traveled in waves through the air hitting the ear drums of everyone in the crowd before the sound moved out into space. Loud cheers from the crowd always roared as an aftershock. Chills ran up my spine as I watch the band advance. They always did.

Okay reader, you heard me say ‘familiar’ right? Get this: “The Striker” is MY DAD!!! Yep, that’s right. My family has been members of The Secret Society of Guardians for centuries. True, it may be a secret society but literally everybody in my town belongs to it. The rule book says that you have to be related to somebody who is a member in order to belong and to wear the sacred adornments and in Piddleton, you usually are – even if it was your 3rd cousin twice removed who was the son of the 2nd wife of…… well you get it. My grandfather Albert who is daddy’s dad, is the Honorable Grand Wizard of the whole Secret Society and my grandmother Gracie (this one doesn’t let us grandkids call her “grandMa”) is the Grand Matron of the Eastern Women of Mysteries. The girl’s branch is called the Morningstar Girls so naturally all of my girl cousins and I belong. You might say that our family is royalty in a sense. Our moms have loads of stories about their days in the Morningstar’s. The boys belong to The Order of the Knights. To make it more confusing to you the reader, the Jester Band – the one that was fast coming towards us right that minute, is a part of the division of the Guards (short for Temple guards) that is called the Jesters. This division is famous worldwide for the charitable work that they do – especially for children. They are also responsible for providing the light heartedness to the world – hence the name: Jesters. There is a sacred code that we all strive to live by. It is to try to have:

1. Courage

2. Wisdom

3. Compassion

4. Discipline and intelligence in all things.

5. Sacrifice

The Jesters were now upon us and with a wink aimed directly at me, the Striker gave a nod and BOOM, the gong sounded deep and full!!! A moment and then the cheer!

They are always the main attraction in every parade wherever they may be.

Molly, Judy, and Sandy, my best friends and I were miles ahead of them earlier that day on our high school jazz band float. We are all members. We had jumped off when our float reached the end of the parade and dashed back up Main Street to squeeze into the front of the crowd standing by the curb to watch the Arabian band come down the street in all of its glory. After it passed us by and the gong had sounded its boom, we pushed back though the throng and raced down to the spot beside Dottie’s Drugstore where daddy’s old blue Chevy pickup was parked. I jumped behind the wheel and gunned the motor; everyone piled into the back and off we went to bring up the rear with all of the others in their pickups. We had spent all morning decorating it and now with a load of friends hanging out of the windows and crowded into the back, and paper streamers and balloons blowing wildly in the wind, we headed up Main Street waving our flags and ringing our bells but most of all shouting to the crowd and throwing candy to the kids. This marked the beginning of the end of summer each year followed by the opening day of the carnival that had come to town in the middle of the night. School was closed that Friday to start the week of the carnival and excitement filled the air. The whole town had been getting ready for weeks. It was here and we were so ready.

The Benny and Bozo Carnival Circus Extravaganza came every year and stayed a whole week. It was dirty, it was cheap, and gaudy and we loved it! It had pulled into town last night and we passed it by on our way back to my house. “Look, cried someone in the truck bed, “there’s the first food trailer loaded with greasy stuff. Yay!!!And the main tent is set up!” A fall breeze had come up and it was starting to feel more cold than cool and smell like fall as we pulled into my driveway. Mom was waiting by the door. She stepped outside, held the door open, and beckoned everyone inside.

Everyone jumped out of the truck and filed into the open door and to our surprise, the familyroom was filled with tables covered in red checked table cloths, and bowls of crackers and pickles. Colored balloons floated and confetti was scattered throughout the room as the aroma of chili and hot apple cidar wafted through the air. A fire was burning in the fireplace and the logs were crackling.

My mom greeted everyone with, “Hey everybody! Find a chair and let’s eat!” There was a rustle of chairs being pulled out and the buzzing of happy voices as everyone found a place to sit at one of the tables. Aunt Katy came out with pitchers of nectar, a fruity drink created by my grandmother with her secret recipe. Aunt Maggie, known to be one of the best cooks in the county, followed with steaming bowls of her famous chili. My mom, dad and two aunts buzzed around the room refilling bowls and cups until we were all so full we were about to pop.

It was then that one of the girls stood up and announced, “We’ve got to get going if we are going to be ready for the Morningstar Girl’s Fall dance!” Yowza!

Mom called out, “Don’t worry about the dishes girls, we will take care of it – now off you go!” Tonight was one of the three Morningstar Girl’s dances of the year. They were the only times that girls could actually ASK THE BOYS!! That’s right, I am not kidding! We could even CALL THEM ON THE PHONE if we had to. Serious!! Yikes! I had asked a couple of boys but they already had dates so I finally settled on Richard, this boy I’ve known forever. He’s a lousy dancer and kind of nerdy, but he is kind of funny PLUS he said yes.

Mom and my aunts had made my dress. I would put my drawing of the dress I wanted to wear to the dance on my Aunt Katy’s drawing board in her beautiful studio on Monday and it would be hanging there waiting for me on Friday and it would fit perfectly and be the absolute color that I had chosen in my head.

Honest!! Nobody can believe it but it’s true. We are a family of seamstresses or like me and Janie, my little sis, seamstresses in the making – so much fun – but they are the best there is – my mom and aunts but especially Aunt Katy. “ She has magic in her fingers.” That’s what I heard one of her customers say to another lady once. If they only knew…..ha! I’ll fill you in on this later.

I jumped in the shower and rolled my hair on big fat rollers. Then I sat under my big hairdryer and painted my nails. Ooolala! I was going to pick my date up in Baby, my awesome coupe. I got her over the summer from my parents and daddy painted her bright blue. Well, Richard had this thing about a girl picking him up so he walked over to my house. I have to say Richard looked cool – better than I thought he would. And so did I. Mom took our pictures and then we all piled in my folk’s car and we were off!! Right, I would have been allowed to pick Richard up in Baby, but going to the dance? We still had to have parents take us. It was a great dance. All of the moms and dads were there at the treat table – you never wanted to look at them or they would smile real big or grimace and shake their heads – something embarrassing. Anyway, everybody was there and the band was really hitting all the good notes and playing some rock and roll that was to the moon. We danced to Bubba and his Blue Notes. Of course, we took off our shoes to dance towards the end – those pointed toes were killers! And throughout the evening, we all gathered in the little girl’s room to dish the dirt. Sandy, one of my best friends, actually was hoping to get kissed by Ernie, tonight. Ernie wasn’t actually a student at our school or even lived in our town. Sandy had met him the night before just hanging around at Dottie’s Drug Store and had asked him to the dance and he said yes. It was exciting that his parents were carneys so we all wanted to meet him of course. Anyway, we didn’t get to because he seemed to disappear from the hall just after the music began.

Judy was having an overnight after the dance. Her family had a house with a basement and they had made the coolest room out of it. They were calling it a “rec room” short for recreation room, get it? They had an old couch and some chairs down there, just like a regular room and we were all getting to sleep on our bedrolls there overnight. It was going to be a blast! We all rushed home to change and then our parents dropped us off in front of Judy’s place. Holy Cow! There were tons of girls going in the side door and down the stairs. I couldn’t wait to get inside so I could save my space. Judy’s parents got us settled and then they left and went down the street to play cards with some of their neighbors. It had turned off cold by the time we got there – already 10:30 pm if you can believe it – and it was a little drafty in the basement.

Something happened that night in the basement that changed things for me. I keep going back in my mind trying to understand it but it is always the same. We were all huddled in our blankets telling ghost stories and eating popcorn and getting plenty scared when there was a knock at the side door at the top of the stairs. Everyone let out a squeal. When we calmed down, I suddenly knew exactly who it was. In my mind’s eye, there was a guy in a squashed hat that said Pizzaria and he was holding a stack of pizzas that were so tall, they almost covered his eyes. AND, it was slightly raining. I remember it as clear as day. Everybody squealed and somebody, I think it was Judy, crept over to the stairway to look up and then I realized that everyone else actually did not know who it was. So I spoke up and from then on, I was in trouble. This is what I said: “Hey, that’s just the pizzeria guy trying to deliver some pizzas.” Everything suddenly went still and everybody turned and stared in horror at me. “What? I’m not kidding,” I said. “Go up and see for yourselves.” What’s the big deal, I thought to myself. Judy pushed by everybody and crept up the stairs and opened the door. Sure enough! Just like I said – there stood this little twerpy pizzeria guy getting wet standing in the rain. Turns out, he had the wrong address.

Judy came back down and whispered to me, “Come in the furnace room with me.” Okay, sure. What’s the matter? I wondered. “How did you know it was the pizzeria guy?” She asked.

And I said (and I am so so sorry that I did), “I saw him.”

“How? You were sitting right in front of me!” She sounded like she didn’t believe me…and a little touchy too.

“He was right here (touching my forehead with the back of my hand). You know, in my mind’s eye.” Geeze, how else are you supposed to describe it? “What’s the big deal Judy?

“I’m calling my mother!”

“Why?”

“This is weird! You’re lying!” That was like socking me in the face. Nobody had ever said that to me.

She turned around before I could even think of something to say and stalked back into the rec room. Everybody suddenly got quiet and sort of moved away from me like I had cooties or something. Some of them started whispering and glancing at me. Then Sandy and Mollie both came over and took my arm. “What’s the matter with everyone,” I asked them.

“They can’t figure out how you knew who it was.”

“It was just the PIZZARIA MAN!” I shouted. Now I was mad.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Both of them patted my arms.

Well, it wasn’t very long before Mrs. Barkman, Judy’s mom, came home and called me upstairs. I heard everyone smirking behind me as I walked up the stairs. I looked down at them but Sandy had her finger on her lips to shush me as she shook her head. “Come and sit down Susannah and tell me what happened,” Mrs. Barkman said in a phony nice voice. I did. It didn’t help anything.

“Susannah, I can’t believe you would do such a thing. It is so out of character. What got into you? Why did you order the pizzas?” Now she was angry and her voice was shrill.

“What? Pizzas? Do you think that I ordered pizzas? Why would I do that? How could I?” I was dumbfounded. “I never left the basement. I don’t even know where your phone is.” It was then that I started to cry – which made me angry at myself.

Mr. Barkman stuck his head around the corner, “Hey Joyce, ease up. Pizzaria says that their man took a wrong turn and went to our house by mistake. Susannah did not order any pizzas.”

“That still doesn’t explain how she knew he was here. Something’s fishy about this. Okay, I need to put my feet up.” And she went into the other room rubbing her forehead, leaving me sitting there. Misty, their cocker spaniel came up and licked me on the cheek.

I got up and headed for the stairs. That’s when I noticed that the side door where the pizzeria guy had been standing was ajar. I started to close it and then for some reason, I decided to open it further and look outside. I stuck my head out and suddenly I felt a push from behind and I was out on the stoop. The door slammed behind me. I looked back through the window in the door. Somebody’s shadow passed over the window and vanished. Who would do this to me? The wind came up and the rain came down harder as I stood there in my pj’s and I was freezing wet. I knocked on the window over and over but nobody came. I ran around to the front door and rang the bell but it must have been broken because I couldn’t hear it ring inside. Nobody came to the door. By this time I was getting scared. Shivering, I crouched down by a basement window and pounded on the glass. I could see the girls laughing together in the basement but nobody seemed to hear me tapping. My hands and bare feet were numb. The wind or something slammed me hard against the house and knocked the wind out of me. “Help! Somebody help me!!!” What was I going to do? Judy’s house was the only one on a busy street filled with shops. All of their windows were dark – it was after midnight. I looked around at the empty streets – no place to run. I ran around the house again, on my numb, wet feet. This time I pushed on the side door as hard as I could. But it was closed tight. And then suddenly it popped open. But there was no body there except Misty, the dog. No way she could open the door. I am losing it. I stumbled through the door and went down the stairs. One small light was still on next to the floor and most of the girls were already asleep on their bedrolls. Judy looked up at me. Before I could say anything, she said “I know. Mom told me. You didn’t order the pizza. I’m sorry I got so mad Susannah, but still. It’s pretty weird – you know - like about knowing who it was and all and then not telling us.”

“Judy, I’ve been locked outside pounding on the door. Why didn’t you let me in?” My face and hands and feet were numb and I couldn’t stop shaking.

“Really? I thought you were over there in your bed roll.” And she snuggled down in hers and pulled the covers over her face. Sandy and Molly were already sleeping. And I then made the next mistake – or maybe not, now that I think about it. I went into the bathroom and ran scalding hot water on my hands trying to get the feeling back. It didn’t work. Feeling miserable and wanting to cry real badly, I stumbled back into the darkened room of sleeping girls and crawled into my bedroll. I stared at the ceiling trying to remember exactly everything that had just happened. Why was everybody mad at me? There was something that I was missing but I just couldn’t catch it. And then I drifted off dreaming of someone calling my name. His eyes looked familiar.

A cold gray morning and I woke up hurting all over – especially my hands that were covered in large blisters from the scalding water of last night (that was the bad mistake). Everyone was gathered around the dining room table eating doughnuts and drinking hot chocolate but I couldn’t wait for mom to pick me up. Nothing sounded good. I was sick in more ways than one.

Mom was quiet on the way home in the Spitfire (that’s my dad’s name for our 57 Dodge). But I didn’t mind. I was trying to think how to tell her about last night but right now, I just wanted to go to bed. As soon as we walked in the back door, she helped me with my stuff and told me to go straight to bed and she would wake me up for lunch. Gladly! My dreams were all weird. In one of them my cat Prissy kept trying to tell me something but I couldn’t quite hear her. In another one, I was falling into a pit and when I woke up, I was covered with sweat. Off in the distance, I heard my mom say to my dad, “Will, I think her fever has broken.” And then I fell back to sleep. It was late afternoon when I finally got up and felt rested. In fact, I felt good as I showered and dressed.

“Well look at sleepy head,” my mom called out as I walked into the kitchen.

“What’s cooking? I asked.

“Vegetable soup and corn bread,” she said. “Here have a brownie to tide you over.”

“Mom, a strange thing happened last night at Judy’s and….”

“I know,” Mrs. Brantley called already. Oh, oh.

“I don’t know why they didn’t believe me,” I said. “Mrs. Brantley even said that she thought that I had ordered the pizza! And then I got locked out in the rain and almost froze to death but…

“Susannah, tell me what the pizzeria man looked like.”

“Mom! Don’t you believe me? Look at my hands – I got locked out and nobody would let me in!” That’s the good part of the mistake – my blistered hands proved I was telling the truth. Right? My dad put his hands around my shoulders and gave me a hug.

“There’s no question that we believe you Susannah. We just thought you might want to talk about it. Tell you what, why don’t you take some brownies down to Miss Clara and you will just have time before dinner to sit down and have a nice chat. She’s been missing you. We will talk more about it when you get home.”

Miss Clara is a sweet and wise 80 plus year old lady that lives in a little cottage down on the corner with her cat Miss Pixie and her parrot Happy AND best of all, her grand piano. I love to play on those wonderful ivory keys. Music always sounds better – almost like it’s enchanted there in her little parlor. Her house is so cozy with the sweetest fragrance that seems to float in the air. Miss Clara used to be a teacher and she has a way about her that brings out the best in everybody. I thought about how I would bring up the subject of last night as I kicked through the leaves on my way down the street under the falling leaves of the tree tunnel. Miss Clara has taught me so much more than how to play the piano even though, that is my very favorite thing to do. She was captured by witches a couple of years ago and that’s how I learned that there was more to things than I thought. She was almost killed by them and still the very next day after, she acted as though it had never even happened. Last year when our town experienced a strange occurrence with a fiddler, Miss Clara tried to warn me in advance, I can see that now, by telling me the legend of the fiddler and loaning me a mysterious little tattered book. I didn’t get it until later. She would be the one to ask for advice about what happened last night at Judy’s overnight, I thought, I won’t have to worry about bringing it up. The sun was hovering above the horizon as I walked up onto her porch and, just as always, the moment I reached out to push her bell, but before I did, the door swung open and there she was and all at once, I knew that everything was going to be all right.

“You’re just in time for a cup of tea with lemon,” she said as she steered me toward the soft flowered chintz sofa. I could hear her canary, Sweetie, singing a lovely melody on his golden perch by the window. I handed her my plate of brownies and she looked so pleased as she took it into her bright little kitchen and placed them in the cupboard by the sink.

“Okay, now sugar lump,” she always calls me that - “tell me all about the Pizzaria man.” I told her all about it- the whole story- and before I knew it, big fat hot tears were rolling down my cheeks and dripping off my chin. It seemed like I couldn’t stop the sobs boiling up from my chest and then they finally calmed down to hiccups. And then out of the blue, she asked “Do you remember Lizaba’s grandmother?”

“Lizaba’s grandma?” What was this about? “Why, what made you think of her?”

“Well, you see, my sweet, I want you to think back in time for a moment. But first, know this: Lizaba’s grandmother died when Dorothy was 10 years old.” Lizaba was my friend who used to live across the street when we were little. Dorothy was her mom. They had moved away but we still got to see each when they came back to Piddleton for a visit.

I could remember meeting her on the day that I went over to see Lizaba but my friend wasn’t home that day. So I stayed and followed Dorothy, her mom, around the back yard while she hung the clothes on the line. Mom and Daddy and I had been to the movies the night before and so, for some reason, I felt like telling her the whole story of that movie. When she was out of clothes in her basket, Dorothy had gone back in the house that day. I could just see her in my mind’s eye going down the stairs to the basement to finish the laundry and I remembered that I had followed her down, chatting away at my story. An old lady with a shawl around her shoulders sat rocking in a wooden rocking chair down there by the stairs. I thought she was Lizaba’s grandmother. She had the sweetest smile on her face. But I do remember that I thought it was kind of strange that she was sitting down there in the dark cellar with the laundry tubs. Dorothy didn’t even speak to her, I remember. The lady seemed to be trying to tell me something and so I leaned close. But just then, Dorothy said, “Susannah, that was your mother on the phone. She wants you to come on home. But thanks for telling me about the movie,” she said with that sweet twinkly laugh of hers. I loved Dorothy. I told her good-bye and I waved goodbye to Lizaba’s grandma and scampered up the stairs and home.

That night at the dinner table, I remembered, my mom and daddy had that look on their faces that they thought I had done something cute or funny. I remember mom saying something about me ‘talking Dorothy’s ears off’ telling her about the movie until she had to call mom and ask her to call me home. I told her about following Dorothy around under the hanging clothes in the sunlight but I thought that she liked hearing about the movie. Hmmm?? Oh and then I told them how I had gone downstairs and talked to Lizaba’s grandmother. And then they both got very still and white which was odd. Had I done something wrong?

“She was so nice – she liked talking to me,” I explained to them, thinking maybe they thought I had been bothering her. But I hadn’t. I knew I hadn’t. She had smiled at me with such a kind look as she gently rocked. She looked very happy to see me. My dad started asking me about her and my mom just listened with that same look on her face. There wasn’t much to tell – she was just rocking there, making hardly any noise and she was trying to tell me something but I could barely hear her whisper. I had leaned in twice; I remember now, but could only feel her breath on my cheek and the slightest sound from her lips. Well, I don’t remember ever talking about that again. So why was Miss Clara bringing that up now?

I looked up into Miss Clara’s face. “So, she died?”

“Yes,” she said gently.

“When Lizaba was 10?”

“No, when Dorothy, Lizaba’s mom was 10.”

“Okay – no! I saw her in the basement and Dorothy was grown up – way older than 10! Maybe it wasn’t her,” I reasoned.

“Susannah, you saw her, I’m sure. There in the basement. But if you saw Flo, she was a ghost.” Miss Clara smiled her sweet smile and waited.

“Oh.” My mind was whirling.

“ Susannah, when you see something with your mind, it is better that you don’t tell anybody about it – NO MATTER WHAT – do you understand?”

“So, was that what was happening with the pizza man, last night? He was dead?”

“No, he was there alright. But seeing him in your mind’s eye is just what I am talking about. You may know things before others – just like knowing who was at the door - but if you tell anyone, first of all, they won’t believe you.” Right, I found that out – “and then they will think that you are strange.” Right again! Always think very hard before you say anything out loud. This is very important. Do you think that you can keep it a secret just between you and me? You and me and your family?”

“Okay, how does this work exactly? I see dead people, serious? Creepy!”

“Susannah? I’m waiting for your answer.”

“NO. I mean YES. NO, I won’t tell and yes, I can keep a secret. Believe me I will never say anything ever again.”

“No. That’s going too far. Just remember, some things are best left unsaid. And this goes for everyone – not just you. Some things are dangerous for others to know. You MUST let nature work it’s course. Now let’s have some tea, shall we? The potatoes are finished boiling and your dinner is almost ready back at home.” I looked around the room. Everything looked the same and different all at the same time. The candles were glowing in the soft lamp light, the sun had set through the curtains and Happy was sleeping with her bilI under her wing. But Miss Pixie who was curled up by the hearth seemingly dozing, blinked open her yellow eyes and looking directly into mine, winked and then went back to dozing. I looked into Miss Clara’s soft blue eyes and saw my mom with her masher vigorously making those delicious mashed potatoes – I could smell their wonderful aroma.

“What about my friends? I don’t think they knew about the pizza man. Judy acted really weird about it. ”

“Your friends do not have the gift so this is one of reasons that you need to be extra careful. You will want to tell them but, it would certainly scare them and wouldn’t help them. Don’t share this with them for their sake. And, can you remember what the pizza man looked like?”

What’s with the pizza man? Mom asked the same question. “No, all I saw was this guy holding a stack of pizza boxes with his hat pulled down.”

“You better hurry before your dinner gets cold,” she said with her sweet smile.

So many questions bounced around in my head as I hurried through the dusk that night towards home: How will I know if something is real or not? What will happen if I make a mistake? How did I get this way? Who else is like this? Am I a witch like my mom and aunts? No, no. Surely not. Am I? So I can see dead people AND other stuff? No way! I made up my mind right then to not believe it.

My family were all sitting at the table waiting for me when I rushed into the dining room. Mom and dad gave each other a look and I knew they probably had seen Miss Clara and I sitting in her parlor as clearly as we had seen them here in the kitchen. And they probably sent me down there on purpose. So are we different? Who knew? For myself, I’ve always been pretty much normal – at least I thought I was. I put it out of my mind.

The next day was bright and sunny and promised to be a hot one. The rain and wind had vanished. Yippee!! Yesterday had been the day for judging quilts and goats and cakes and what not but today was the actual first day of the Benny and Bozo’s Carnival Circus Extravaganza. The ribbon was cut by the mayor as the sun was breaking over the hills and we all went rushing in. What a glorious day! Yesterday’s stuff faded away. Benny and Bozo are the two owners of the carnival circus. We always just say “carnival.” Benny always wears a ringmaster’s uniform and carries a long shiny black stick and Bozo is a clown with a white face and a big red frown painted on it. Nobody has ever seen him without his mask – not even when he’s not at the fairgrounds. Benny and Bozo usually walked around the carnival grounds all day greeting the entire crowd except when they were performing with the circus. This year, however, Benny had taken ill and was resting in his trailer. So, until he got well, Bozo was covering the whole carnival and it seemed like everywhere you looked – there he was.

The carnival is arranged with a midway surrounded by a large area filled with all kinds of rides such as the Whiz bang, the Hammer, the Carousel, the Whirly Gig and the miniature train and tons more. There are vendors selling all kinds of delicious food like corn dogs and root beer and cotton candy. Carney’s hawk games of chance and people line up to try their hand. Every year a lady carves a cow out of butter and a man swallows fire and divers dive from a tall ladder into a small tank of water. And that’s not all: at the edge of the carnival grounds is where the giant circus tent is. This is the place where amazing circus acts take place every afternoon and evening. There are trapeze acts where ladies in beautiful costumes swing from the tent tops and leap to the catcher while everyone holds their breath; monkeys and poodles dance and spin while elephants lumber around the rings with glamorous riders on their backs; horses prance, clowns make everyone laugh and the man on the high wire walks close to death without a net. Lions and tigers’ pace in their cages until it is their turn to be turned loose into the big enclosed cage with their lion trainer. This is usually reserved for Friday night because we can sleep in on Saturday morning. And our families all go together. We all sit in the dusty tent and then spend hours talking about it with my friends, the Gaggles – that’s what we call ourselves. On the other nights of the circus, we always sit out on Sandy’s front porch on the way home each evening because she lives by the carnival grounds and it’s on our way to our homes and also by the end of the day, we are all pretty worn out and need a break. Plus, her mom always has root beer and cookies ready for us to eat as we relive every single minute of the day until our curfew is up. And then we all leave and walk to our homes and into bed. After all, school starts at 8:00 each morning carnival or not and we can’t be late. But it lets out at noon all week which is cool! The whole town goes wild all week. And most of the shops are closed by midafternoon. It seems like it is late summer when the carnival comes to town and it has turned into full blown fall by the time the carnival leaves town – all in the space of one week.

We ran all over the carnival on the first day, sticking together which was a rule that was pounded into our heads by our parents each and every day. We got to go without them but only if we stuck together. I remember that day of riding a new ride that spun us around until we stuck to the wall, of gorging ourselves on caramel apples and candy corn, and of watching the little lambs bounce around their moms in their pens and loads more. That evening we all lined up to see Merlyn the Mentalist and we made the cut by the guy at the door who was counting heads and got to go in. And then surprise! We were all chosen to go up on the stage and get hypnotized which was scary and wonderful. Merlyn hypnotized us and made us dance and fall asleep and basically act silly. He went around eyeing all of us on stage and then picked us Gaggles out of the group on stage and put us all into a deep trance. Later, we all talked about it and we all had had the same “dream.” It felt like we were on a magic elevator going down through beautiful levels of rooms of different colors of blue, green, purple and finally white. Then we slid down a magic slide and out into the stars. It was amazing. Then POP! We all woke up. On the way out of the arena, I heard a noise and thought I saw Bozo crouching under the stands. What was he doing? Spying on someone? It creeped me out and when I told the gang, they felt the same. But our thoughts soon turned to the wonderful ride that we had all taken on the magic elevator and we talked about it all of the way home. It was such a wonderful feeling, warm and safe and completely rested. I even dreamt about it that night and so did everyone else. Same dream. Sorta weird.

Carnival week was the best time of the year. Every morning kids gathered in groups in the hallways to talk about what amazing things they had done the day before at the carnival. Lots of bragging about how many times you rode the roller coaster could be heard, or how sick you got on the Whirly Gig. Somebody always got kissed on the Boat House Ride or was chosen to go into the clown act during the circus. And then the bell would ring and everyone would scatter to their classrooms but the feeling in the air throughout the morning was electric and no work got done. Then the noon whistle was blown and for that week only, school was out for the day! Yay! Me and the rest of the Gaggles all had to go home and check in before we could go to the grounds and of course, we broke speed records as we raced home in our saddle oxfords and pleated skirts flapping in the breeze. Then we all gathered at Sandy’s house to make a plan for the day. Then we hurried off towards the carnival grounds. You could hear the lively sound of the circus calliope with the little puppet in his top hat and tux dancing his heart out. Two years ago, after my friend Kay’s dad’s hardware store burned down, this antique puppet was found in an old safe that had been buried in the basement. The Carnival Circus’ puppeteer, Alphonzo had purchased him and now here he was dancing for everyone to enjoy every day and night that the circus was in town. Sometimes we split up in order to wait in line at different rides and then the one who got to the front first would give a yell and we would all rush over and jump on the ride. Everybody did it so it wasn’t as bad as you are thinking it was. And it was sort of breaking the ‘split up’ rule but not really because we could still see each other.

This day, I remember, Sandy was determined that we should all go to the Fortune Teller, Madame Mimi to find out when she was going to get kissed. Brother! Outside of Madame Mimi’s little tent sat a black crow on a perch. He squawked at every passerby until they threw him a treat. Inside was the heady fragrance of incense, and candles. Soft pillows lined the walls and in the center was a tiny table covered with a thick shawl. Madame Mimi was dressed all in dazzling white robes covered in crystals that sparkled like diamonds. “Come girls and let Madame Mimi look into your eyes and tell you what wonderful things are about to happen in your lives.” We were mesmerized. The candles sparked the crystals and in the thickness of the air, we all relaxed on the pillows. Madame Mimi pulled a golden rope and a beautiful crystal came down from the ceiling. It flashed and sparkled as though it was on fire. It was hard to look at but then it was hard to take your eyes off of it. It’s hard to explain. It looked exactly like the one on Miss Clara’s little round table. I couldn’t wait to tell her about it. One by one, we took the chair across the table from her and offered her our palm. She told us a lot of other things about our lives that were very surprising and she told us some scary stuff too.

Judy was first and she was trembling as she sat down. Madame Mimi had many wonderful things to tell her. She was getting an A on her theme, she would be chosen to be the lead in the dance recital, she would soon receive an award. And then she said, “Judy, my crystal tells me that you have recently hurt one of your best friends.” Judy nodded and glanced at me. “Aww but, I now see that she has forgiven you.” (Oh. Really?). “Your future is hazy. Oh, Judy, it looks like a time will come when you will break a very important rule.” Judy trembled. “And when you do, your fate will rely on two very important things. And they are: The first one is to look for the button with the star. The second one is that you must press the star 3 times with you finger and when you do, the ring will open the doors for you. Now, your session is over, lead the others to the purple and wait. You may go.” Judy stumbled back to the cushions.

“Sandy, please come forward,” she whispered and Sandy bounced up and plopped down on the cushion. “So Sandy! “WHAT EVER YOU DO,” Madame Mimi’s voice boomed out. We all jumped. “Do NOT ON ANY circumstance, kiss the boy that you want to kiss!” Sandy’s hands clinched the sides of her seat under the table and I could see that she was angry. “Do you hear me, my sweet?” Her voice took on a softer tone. “Do not look into his eyes or touch his lips or you will be enslaved by him foreverrrrr.” Madame Mimi told Sandy that she was going to try harder to listen to Miss Gabby in English, that a boy with blue eyes was smitten with her…., but I was not listening. Wow, she had really started out on Sandy pretty hard. I knew this was only a trick because how did she know about Ernie? But still, it was pretty close. “And last of all, my sweet,” she was holding Sandy’s hand, “when you are the most frightened that you will ever be, remember to grab the gold ring and pull it down hard. You will not want to do it, but it is the only way you will escape. You may go.” Man, that last was too much. Sandy rolled her eyes as she sunk down on her cushion.

I looked up as Mollie walked up and sat down. She was pretty laid back and seemed to be enjoying the whole things. Her fortune was told – Madame Mimi even knew the name of her cat, Hortense – and then as she was about to get up, Madame Mimi held her palm firm and said, “Mollie, in the next few days, you will be faced with a decision that could change your life and your family's lives. Listen carefully, my dear, stay close to your friends, do not be tempted by pleasure, to break the ring of friendship by going your own way and whatever you do….Don’t go near the water! You may go.” What water? The pools were closed for the season. Mollie looked serious as she came back to the cushions.

When it was my turn, Madame Mimi, took my hand and looked deep into my eyes and taking her time, she finally spoke in a very quiet voice, “Ohhhh Susannah…your future is wrought with danger….and you must be verrrrry careful, my sweet. Evil awaits you in the realm of amusement. (Ok must be here at the carnival). Deep in the sanctuary of goodness will you find redemption.” (Sounds serious.) But”, and she shook a slender crooked finger with a long nail in my face very slowly, “you will only reach it by loyalty, cleverness and sacrifice. You have the power to bring happiness to others but only if you remember to do these things. Remember to rely on the keys that will have been given to you by luck. Ward off evil with the place you put rings but ONLY with your right hand. That is all. You may go.” Okay. I don’t have a ring on my right finger. Why? Because I would lose it! I lose everything. Also, what did the deal about the key mean? I have one key and it opens the front door.

Madame Mimi seemed stuck on rings. Judy had to push a button to get hers. Sandy had to pull on one, Mollie wasn’t supposed to break one, and I supposedly used the one I already had. None of us could guess what any of this meant. But we were about to find out.

We left Madame Mimi’s and wandered down the strip, watching people throw darts at balloons and balls at ducks and so forth. One of the carnies with the bill of his hat pulled down covering his eyes called out to us in his sing-songee voice: “Step up ladies and win a prize that you will cherish. Come inside the “Tent of Spells” and give the Wheel of Fortune a spin.” His voice was smooth and lovely to listen to plus it sounded like lots more fun that Madame Mimi’s.

“Let’s do it!” we all said at once. But just as we started to turn towards the open flap of the tent, Bozo stepped out into our path and greeted us all with a big howdy do. (Oh no!). He handed us all stems of cotton candy (we were so over cotton candy) and said, the Carousel awaits!”

“No thanks, we’re not interested,” we all said at once. We are not babies! Please! Bozo was getting on our nerves and besides the carousel was way on the other side of the Carnival grounds. Just then, Misty, Judy’s dog, ran out of the crowd and bit Bozo on the leg! We couldn’t believe it. How did Misty get out? It wasn’t funny, I know, but we couldn’t stop laughing. Bozo let out a screech and took a swing at Misty who took off through the crowd with all of us chasing after her.

“Catch her before she gets hurt!” Judy shouted and we chased her down through the tents and vendor wagons and then she suddenly seemed to disappear. We saw her run around the corner of a building at the edge of the carnival ground but when we got there, the only living creature to be seen was a lady with a scarf tied under her chin. She shook her head when I asked if she had seen a little black cocker spaniel and said in a whisper, “Beware.”

“Who are you talking to?” my friends asked.

“That lady with the….” I could see that look on their faces and when I looked back, the lady was nowhere to be seen. She had vanished.

Miss Clara’s words ran through my head then: “Don’t tell anybody what you see…NO MATTER WHAT.” Oh well, it was time to head for home anyway.

All week long, all of our friends had been talking about The Amazing Alphonzo The Magic Puppeteer and his Magic dancing puppets. There was even a full page article on Page One of the Piddleton Gazette. And of course, we were dying to go. There was always a line but everybody said that it was worth the wait. We had put it off for a day or two because it was kind of expensive. But then Judy suddenly found a $10 bill stuck on the bottom of her shoe and it was just enough for all of us to go. The light inside the little tent made everything look dusty and gold. The curtains on the puppet stage suddenly swung open and beautiful puppets came dancing in. They were so real that it was shocking. You could see their little mechanical eyes and lips open and shut and the wires pulling them but otherwise it would have been hard to believe that they were only puppets because they flipped, tapped, clapped, danced, and sung just as though they were real. We never wanted it to end. After the curtains came down the puppeteer pulled the curtains up and took a bow. We clapped and clapped until the puppets danced an encore. As we left the tent, something kept pulling at my brain….something about the eyes of the puppeteer….where had I seen them before? Then I forgot it and we all walked to Sandy’s house before going home. Her mom had glasses of homemade root beer all iced up and ginger snaps hot from the oven. This night, as I was walking home from Sandy’s, I thought I saw Bobo sitting on a park bench that sits by the bus stop. But when I got up close, he was not there. It made me wonder why he was waiting for the bus. Someone should have told him that buses don’t run that late. It was already 9:00.

We had waited all week to go to the circus and tonight was the night. Our parents, with all of us walked down the midway towards the big tent. Dad had helped out all week at the Carnival long after he got off work at the filling station so it was just mom with the other parents. I took Jane, my little sister, by the hand and my friends took their little brothers and sisters and we strolled along that night with the music down below and the starry night twinkling above. The parade began in the big top and everybody scrambled for their place up on the wooden bleachers. Bozo boomed “Welcome to the Bennie and Bozo Carnival Circus, The Greeeatist Show on Earth!” My heart leaped with the joy as the elephants started around the 3 circus rings with the beautiful trapeze ladies riding on top. Next came the clowns, then the horses prancing with plumes on their heads and their trainer, a beautiful woman in a tuxedo keeping them in line with a long black whip. All of the wonderful stars of the show pranced and twirled. The monkeys danced and romped about keeping everyone in stitches. They pulled a golden cage with a baboon inside who peered out through the bars as if he were in jail. Once in a while, one of the monkeys would pull on the ring on the top of his cage and he would screech out in anger and then the crowd would clap for more. One thing that happened that stopped the parade for a while was when all of the dancing dogs got out of formation and ran all over the floor barking and growling while their trainer ran screaming after them, her feather headdress askew on her head. One of the dogs bounded up the stairs by us and cowered behind mom until she handed it back to the circus worker. “I hope they are treating her right,” she said with a worried look on her face. Last came the big cages with the lions and tigers pacing back and forth inside their cages, growling and sticking their paws out between the bars when anybody walked by. Two men in sparkling costumes carried a banner that announced: Hercules, The Mighty. He was the largest lion and was known for being ferocious and dangerous. His roar could be heard throughout the parade.

Then Bozo raised his baton and the circus band struck up with a blast of the horns and the circus began.

Popcorn, peanuts, and cotton candy vendors walking the crowds shouting out their wares, balloons getting loose and sticking to the top of the tent, the shrieking of the crowd, the noise at high level and it was all totally…. wonderful. Intermission and we all raced to the Girl’s room. As I pushed through the crowd pulling Janie behind me, ahead I saw an old woman wearing a shawl enter the restroom ahead of us. Something about her was familiar and then I remembered that she was the woman I talked to when we were chasing Judy’s dog. And now I’m seeing her again, I thought, but I won’t mention it because nobody else could see her, I remembered. Once inside, Janie and I waited in line with everyone else. I turned to find Mollie and her sister and when I turned back, Janie was gone. Someone said that they thought that she had squeezed in ahead and was already in the stall. I waited a minute and then pushed through and looked under the doors to see if I could see her legs. She was not there and then I felt a panic that made me want to throw up. I started yelling her name and then everybody started panicking. Out in the corridor, people were crowding together and it was hard to see through them and then I heard her voice somewhere near. And there she was and somebody had her by the hand and they were going out through a slit in the tent wall on the side. “Janie!” I yelled as though my lungs would collapse. She turned and saw me and started pulling on the hand and whimpering. I threw myself in that direction and reached her just as Bozo’s face came into view.

“Here you go little girl, better stick with your sissy,” he said. And then he was gone.

“Janie! Why did you go with him?”

“I didn’t, honest.” Honest was a big word in our family. You could be kidding and say ‘really’ but ‘honest’ had to be the truth.

“You mean, he made you go with him?” She shook her head.

“No!” No matter, we just had enough time to use the bathroom before the second half began. .

The second half of the show was spectacular. There were a couple of times when I had to hide my eyes such as when the man on the wire almost fell off without a net and the lion actually tried to attack the lion tamer when he made him sit up on his stool. But we all went home and it wasn’t until I was falling to sleep that I remembered about Janie and Bozo. Something about Bozo’s voice….?

The last day was here. So much to do. It was a whole day and we were ready. We rode the rides over and over and ate all kinds of greasy junk until we were about to pop. I tried my luck at the ring toss and won a little pink miniature piano that actually worked. I put it in my back pack and we headed toward the Boat House ride. So far, we had not had time for it like usual. Mollie and Judy had gone ahead to wait in line while Sandy and I were ring tossing. I was hurrying along lost in thought and suddenly realized that Sandy wasn’t with me. There she was with some guy standing by the Bible ladies pie shop booth. “Sandy, come on, they are waiting for us!” I yelled at her but she was looking dreamy eyed at the boy who had his hands gripping her arm.

“Susannah! Come and meet Ernie.” He turned and looked at me with such evil that, for a second, I was frozen solid. Those eyes! Where…? Oh no…he was the Pizzaria man – no – he was The Amazing Alphonzo! Whoever he was, I had to get Sandy away from him. I started to speak but I stopped myself. She would never believe me. He turned and leaned toward her. He was going to kiss her! Madame Mimi had warned her - Before I could even think what I was doing, grabbed a banana cream pie off of the counter and slammed it in his face. I turned to the shocked expressions on the Bible ladies faces and said, “My mom will be by and pay for it.” The pizzeria man or whoever he was disappeared through the crowd and I grabbed Sandy’s hand and drug her wailing down the midway towards the Boat house Ride.

But when we got there, Mollie and Judy were nowhere in sight. They weren’t in the line, or waiting by the ticket taker. “Are you looking for Mollie and Judy?” somebody in the crowd said and when we said ‘yes,’ they said that they had seen them get in a boat with Dorthea and Sharon already. I guess they got tired of waiting for us and went ahead.

“I hope Dorthea doesn’t push them in,” we laughed. We’ve always had kind of a competition with her and her friends in the past. We got in line but 20 minutes later and still Mollie and Judy had not come out of the ride so we decided to look for them and come back later. An hour later we were still looking. Sandy had calmed down a little from the Ernie episode but she still thought that I had lost it totally. That’s when she thought she saw him going into the Puppet tent and she insisted that we go in for another show. I reluctantly went with her because by now I was getting worried. The curtains flew open and the show began. Dancing puppets dazzled us. One of them in particular seemed to be looking at me. She looked just like Mollie. “Sandy, look at that puppet in the purple tutu. Who does she look like?”

“It looks like a puppet, goof ball.” She didn’t see it, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. And then it struck me. The puppeteer is Ernie or the pizzaria man!

Outside, it was growing dark as dusk descended on the carnival grounds. We started back to the Boat House Ride to look for the girls. Mollie’s dad hurried up with a worried look on his face, “Thank heavens, I’ve found you. Where’s Mollie?” When we told him that we couldn’t find her, he became very alarmed. Okay, was this when I tell him that I think Mollie is a puppet? Probably not. But where was she? And Judy? I kept thinking that if I could only see her face, I could get the puppet out of my mind.

“Susannah what came over you to push a pie in Ernie’s face?” Sandy’s voice came through the fog swirling around in my head.

“Remember, Madame Mimi told you not to kiss the first person who wanted to kiss you?” And then I began to remember the rest of her words….Mollie was not to go near the water – The Boat House Ride! Judy was supposed to grab the gold ring. Gold? The ring toss rings were all white plastic. Where have I seen a GOLD ring??? The Master of the Ring - the lion!!

Grab the gold ring. Right.

I took off for the Boat House once again but the line was huge and I knew it would take an hour to get up to the ride. Desperately, I went around in back. There was a door but it was locked and then I saw Bozo slipping down the side of the building in the shadows. I looked around the corner but nobody was there. That’s when I heard the noise inside. There were the squeals of the boat riders, and the shrieks of the manikins who spring out to scare you but this was something different. It was more like a litter of hungry kittens. I felt the wall until my fingers slid into a crack and when I pushed, a small door swung open. I was inside somewhere in the dark background of the Boat House Ride. I could still hear the muffled cries that I had heard before but now they were a little louder.

“Mollie,” I whispered. “Are you here. It’s me Susannah.” And then, I couldn’t breathe as somebody grabbed me from behind. I fought with all of my might, biting and kicking, but the arms that encircled me were too strong.

“Thanks for coming little lady. You saved us the trouble of coming after you.” And standing before me was Alphonzo and with him. A fierce looking man in a dark cape, “Let me introduce myself, I am Hector, a friend of Essie. I saw your name in her friend book, so I know we are going to be great buds.” Essie was a witch I knew once and made the mistake of signing her book, but that’s a whole different story.

“Where’s Mollie?” I screeched. And that’s when they put the tape on my mouth. I needed to think about this better.

“Well, do you want to see her? Alrighty then.” And they pushed my head down and shoved me in a tiny closet with a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Dozens of fancy puppets hung by their wires from the ceiling and there she was. Mollie hung from a wire with tears rolling down her puppet face.

“We have a new one – just now joining us.” The door opened and a puppet with curly hair was placed on a hook. Sandy hung there with a blank look. The door slammed.

“Where’s Judy?” But, although their mouths could open and close, no sound could come out. Think. Think. I have to think. The door opened and the evil-looking man in black yanked me back out into a small dirty room.

“Okay, Susannah. Tell us the secrets that you hide?” Secrets? “You’re family is the royal family and you are the witch in waiting. We know all about you.”

“You’ve got me mixed up with someone. We are not royalty. Seriously, you think I would be wearing….” A hard slap across my face. “Well, there’s not much to tell. I play the piano in the Piddleton Jazz Band….I..” and then I saw stars and felt my face burn.

“Bring her out,” The Great Alphonzo ordered and the door to a chamber swung open and there was Judy. “Come on out, my sweet, the King is hungry.” She seemed to be in a trace as he steered her towards something in the corner and when he yanked off the cover, there was the lion cage and the beast of a lion also known as the King of the circus.

“Stay away from cats. Grab the gold ring.” Those were Madame Mimi’s words. It seemed like ages ago. Then I noticed several smaller cages in this place – the baboon was in one of them and began shrieking and rattling his cage. The gold ring on the lion’s cage began to swing as he became restless and started pacing, turning his head to look at Judy and barring his huge teeth.

“Judy! Grab the ring!” I screamed at the top of my lungs but she didn’t seem to hear me.

“Talk witch!!” Hector glared at me. I glared back. Then he dangled Judy closer to the lion cage

“Please PLEASE DON’T HURT HER.”

“Talk!” Alphonzo stepped closer to me and now he held a dagger. Judy screamed as her face was slammed into the bars. It was like a bolt of lightening struck me and ignited something. I bolted out of the chair and pushing Alphonzo to one side, yanked Judy and her wires away from Hector who fell back in surprise,I lunged at the cage and punched the lion in the nose and grabbed the ring. The lion roared and started back at us. Nothing happened. Oh right, She’s supposed to grab the ring. I snatched her hand and closed it around the ring and everything began to happen. For one, Judy woke up. I was grabbed by my hair from behind. Okay, now what? Keys, keys….where’s the key? And then I understood. Alphonzo was upon us but I punched him in the stomach, ran around him and unzipping my back pack, I grabbed the little pink piano and began playing Enchantment, my favorite tune on the piano keys. That’s right. THOSE keys. The next shocking thing was that the baboon turned into a strange looking ringmaster and the lion turned into cowboy with a gun. The puppets now sounded like girls and they were pounding on their door and begging to be let out. I backed toward the door and opened it but when I turned around, we were cornered by the cowboy who seemed to be yelling something at us while waving his gun in the air. Everyone got very quiet. I heard Judy say, “go towards the elevator” and the girls behind me began edging against the wall towards Judy. Alphonzo seemed to have run off but Hector knocked the cowboy down (okay maybe the cowboy was ON our side?) with his stick and charged me . I tried to push myself into the elevator but it was packed clear to the ceiling with people and the doors were barely able to close. They pulled me in but then the doors would not shut and Hector had begun whacking at us with his stick shouting what seemed like evil spells. I stepped back out with such a sick dread within me, I could hardly breathe. The doors shut and the elevator descended. I swung at Hector and caught him with my ring finger which then hurt like crazy but he began to disappear into thin air. His last blow pushed me backwards into the elevator shaft. As I fell, I could hear Madame Mimi’s words “the finger that holds rings……”

Down, down I fell into the blackness. I must have lost consciousness because when I opened my eyes, I was lying on a soft cushion and the first thing I saw was the top of a golden dome. The murmur of chanting filled the golden air. When I sat up and looked around, I could see that I was on a cushion on a raised platform in the center of a circle of people. I’m dreaming, I thought or I’m dead and this is heaven. They were all dressed in white robes with golden sashes swaying in unison. Across the room was another pedestal and on it was sitting my grandparents and my mom. What is this? Where am I? I must be dreaming, I thought. I blinked my eyes to clear them and what I saw astounded me for in the center of the circle under the dome was a tall man about to strike a large brass gong with a large mallet. And as the sound of it reverberated back and forth through the air, I realized that he was looking straight at me. Yes, my dad was here. The sound of the gong faded out into space and then all was quiet. I sat up and looked around. I turned when I heard my grandfather’s kind voice. He looked

down at me with that twinkle in his eye and his voice, although quiet, was music to my ears.

“Susannah, welcome to the Cavern of Mystery. You are here with us and you are safe.”

“What’s happening? Where are we?” Words began tumbling out of me as the chanters began to move around us.

“Look around you my dear, these are your family, your friends, your neighbors. This is our Temple of the Guardians.”

“Under the Carnival Boat Ride?”

He chuckled. Our temple has existed here for hundreds of year. The boat ride was built over it to keep it hidden. Have you ever wondered why it is the only ride that remains here all year long and doesn’t leave with the Carnival?”

“Oh, right.” Hmm, why didn’t I think of this?

We almost revealed our secret when Hector saw all of you entered the magic elevator. Luckily you touched Hester’s arm with your ring finger when you tried to defend yourself.”

My ring finger? That was a lucky swing, I thought. But….my ring finger? Seriously?

Grandfather seemed to be reading my thoughts as he waited. “Yes, Madame Mimi Is Miss Clara. You recognized the chrystal ball in Madame Mimi’s tent as being one like Miss Clara’s. When it was actually…….”

“hers,” I finished.

“Yes. And when she took your hands in hers, she installed a spell into your ring finger on your right hand as a precautionary measure in case you needed it.”

I knew it. I knew it…I think. Ideas began to spring up in my mind.

“Yes, Susannah, you suspect things and now it is time to reveal the secrets that we hold. And we have a lot to tell you. Do you think you are ready to hear it?”

I squeaked out, “yes.”

Just then, Mom and dad, Aunt Katy and Maggie, Grandmother, Miss Clara and literally the whole group gathered around me to offer encouragement. Some hugged me. One of them covered me with a warm blue knitted shawl. Another helped me into a large soft over-stuffed chair. Someone brought me an ice cold glass of nectar. Candles began to light up around the temple.

The gong was struck by my dad and the voice of the grand master (grandfather) was heard.

“The time is nigh. We will begin.”

My grandmother stepped up and sat next to me. ““Susannah, as your grandmother and the Grand Matron of the Guardians, I am here to tell you the history of your beginnings. I will begin the story. Members of your family and those who know you well will continue when I am finished.”

“You and Janie are the children of two factions, “began Grandmother. When your daddy married your mother, they combined the two: The Secret Society of Guardians, your dad’s family and The Royal Order of Witches, your mother’s family. It was the wedding of the century and all Guardians and good witches around the world celebrated for weeks with happiness because we all knew it would bring special beings into the world – how they would be special was yet to be known. And so we waited with anticipation to see what their baby would bring. In order to keep you safe, a spell was cast around you to block all potential incoming and outcoming signals and yet allow you to live a normal life. All of us in the family watched you grow, guiding you when needed, and allowing you to learn on your own when we thought it was better. We expected your innate talents develop and we were aware of our tight bond.

But we were shocked out of complacency when you came home that day and told your parents that you actually saw Flo with your own eyes. We were not expecting you to have that ability until much much later – maybe 12 or 13 but you were only 4 years old! And so we were unprepared for it, at first. Flo, you see, is a guardian spirit who watches over children. She was not Elizaba’s grandma as you thought. And she can only be seen by those with that talent – usually well- developed witches. Also, we became worried that If she could pick up your energy, than who else out there could? Our block spell had been broken.

“And so, we knew that you could be in danger, not just by others who may want to hurt you or hurt your family but by yourself. Not knowing that you could see what others could not, you might innocently tell them something that would be questionable to others.,” added Aunt Katie as she passed around a plate of her cookies.

That’s for sure, I thought.

“Over the years, we have done a pretty good job of keeping you safe. Many have come to help you when we thought you were in peril,” said mom.

“Like John and Donny?” She nodded. “And Clara?” Another nod.

My dad then stepped into the circle and sat down next to me. He was a great story teller and I got settled. He cleared his throat and in his warm and smooth voice, he began.

“Over 100 hundred years ago, a battle was raging between the bad and the good witches and wizards. Hector, a very powerful dark wizard, had made life miserable for centuries for common ordinary decent people with his evil spells and his glee in creating pain and havoc. When the Guardians created our Carnival-circus, it was for the purpose of bringing happiness and joy to all of the towns and cities where the Carnival visits and then to use the money that was made to fund children’s hospitals all over the country. Hospitals flourshed and children were treated for free and the money also funded new research. It was a miracle for many. The Grand Master of the Guardians at the time, was the one who always appointed the Manager of the carnival who was also the Ring Master of the circus. Back then it was called the Circus of Goodness. And it was a source of excitement and abundant cheer as it traveled around the country. Good witches in every town volunteered on the carnival week and also in the children’s hospitals as well.

During the time of the war of the witches, the Carnival-circus just happened to be in full swing. Everything was going great when things began to go wrong. Elephants got loose and stampeded down the Midway; one of the trapeses broke and dropped the trapeze artist into the tiger cage who was injured but escaped; one of the tents collapsed during a show, and the popcorn stand caught on fire and the list goes on. Benny, a friendly and kind man and a very good carnival manager lead the fair with such success that it was eventually named after him. He took the bull by the horns and set out to find out who was doing these evil deeds and why and this led him in extreme danger. A local coven of good witches approached him and offered him their services in casting spells explaining that they were in the middle of a battle with evil wizards and they had information that the carnival was being attacked by Hector, one of them who wanted to take over the carnival in order to strike at the witches. But although Benny respected the women, secretly he really didn’t believe in witches and so turned them down saying that although he appreciated their offer, he thought he could take care of it himself. Big mistake. One night as he was locking up the gates of the carnival after putting out another fire, he was captured by Hector and his evil forces and turned into a puppet. Not being a witch, Benny had no way to defend himself.

The little puppet was put in a wooden box lined in [ lost passage ] and passed around during the many battles between the witches and wizards. One of them finally left it in a toymaker’s shop with dire warnings to keep the puppet hidden. But as time went by, the puppet was forgotten, and eventually the toymaker died. His children, not knowing what was in the box, buried it deep out on the prairie and that’s where it remained for a number of years.

And then a [ lost passage ] named Alphonzo, a fairly young wizard remembered a story about a Ring Master who was turned into a puppet and began a search. He was joined by the evil Hector who heard of his search and remembered the carnival and decided once again to take it away from the Guardians and the good witches.

“Benny had been hidden in his box. The little puppet was sending out beams of energy. Time went by and a town was built over this spot and later, a hardware store was put over the spot where the trunk lay. The Guardians as well as the good witches were relentless and never stopped searching but although Benny’s calls were heard sometimes in the wind, they were growing weaker and weaker. But they weren’t the only ones searching. Alphonso and Hector and their gang were searching as well. And as their numbers increased, they increased their search as well.”

“A family of witches moved into town, as you know, Susannah because they had also heard the calls. And they knew that the puppet was hidden close by and began their search. They had spells of their own put on them by Hector and the only way to release them was to find the puppet. And so Esmerelda, the evil witch, caused Mr. Anderson’s hardware store to burn down to the ground and there in the ashes was the safe and inside was the puppet. Within an hour, Alphonso appeared and offered this devastated family enough money to rebuild their store, and without realizing their mistake, they sold the puppet without question to him. Esmerelda was too late!

Alphonso, in his desire to bring down the Guardians and become the Grand Master, put a spell on the puppet that compelled him to dance without stopping as long as the calliope played. Next, he was determined to capture the child who was to become the leader of the Guardian/Order of the Witches alliance and hold her for ransom. And that, my darling daughter, would be you, Susannah.” (Me? Leader?.) “He crippled the Carnival years ago and was doing it again - not only by turning Benny into a puppet, but also the Sheriff on the case into a lion. All of those who got in their way – participants of the carnival and circus who brought happiness through their work were changed into dancing dogs and monkeys. And then Alphonso and his gang perfected their skills as they went from town to town turning young girls and boys into puppets until the day that they arrived here in Piddleton. And we were waiting. We had a plan.” My dad sat back. “And here it gets dark.”

Everything went well, until you (Me?) were able to actually See Alphonson as the Pizzaria man at the back door of Judy’s house that night of the overnight. That would have been okay with our plan but you then TOLD everyone, well because you didn’t know any better. That worked perfectly into their plan. We all sprang into action from that point.

As you know, two years ago, Mr. Anderson’s hardware store burned down for reasons that we will not go into right now and there in the basement was the safe. Mr.Anderson did not recognize it as an important artifact and had it opened and when he did, out came Hector, still in his puppet form. All of us kept watch to see who would show up for him. It was Alphonzo. He was now in possession of one of the most powerful evil sorcerers that there ever was.

When we heard that he had joined Benny and Bozo’s Carnival Circus, we were especially watchful. This circus has long been a prize of The Guardians. Benny is a Grand Master and Bozo is played by a resident in every town they go to.

“You mean, there is a different Bozo in every town?”

“Right,” Grandad said with a nod. “And who do you think was Bozo this year in Piddleton?”

“Who?”

“Your looking at him.”

“Daddy!”

“That’s right. His job was to keep everyone safe from Hector and Alphonzo.” He WAS sitting on the bench at the bus stop.

“We had made a decision before the carnival came to Piddleton, that this was the perfect platform for us to give you your first test BUT with caution because we couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong,” explained Grandmother.

“Test?”

“When a young person with your lineage reaches an age, it is our duty to test you and train you for the next step.

It seems that everywhere the carnival has gone, young kids have disappeared, never to be found. The pizzeria man, as Ernie, had already been to Dottie’s Drugstore, the dance, and he knew exactly where everybody was that night at Judy’s. I made the mistake of telling everyone what I knew which threw everything off. It turns out that Misty, Judy’s dog, is a bad witch and it was she who pushed me out on the porch and then blocked all sound coming into the house so that nobody could hear me ringing the bell and knocking. She was hoping to keep me outside long enough for Alphonzo to come back and grab me. Flo was the one who popped open the back door for me and all I saw was a shadow passing by the window. I actually wondered if Misty had opened it, I remembered. And then thought how stupid that was – a dog opening a door?

“We had a very concise and detailed plan and we followed it to the letter – with some missteps,” said Aunt Maggie. “Some girls broke the rule of sticking together and decided to split up,” and she gave me such a look! I scooched down in my cushion.

“Merlyn, the hypnotist, planted the magic elevator into your minds as an enchantment to show up as a dream in case something went wrong and you needed it. We didn’t think it would but it turns out, we did. It worked well with the girls and they will never remember their stint as a puppet or anything else.” Whew, I was glad about that.

“We did try to give you some clues,” said Miss Clara, with a wink. And right away, I knew she was Madame Mimi and Sweetie was the crow.

“Daddy kept a pretty good eye on you all but once you split up; things began to get out of hand.” Yowza!

“So dad, you saved Janie from the woman instead of trying to steal her at the circus?” I looked at dad and he looked back and nodded. I could read his mind and I knew he was thinking that I shouldn’t have let go of her hand in the restroom.

One thing that had worked out great for the Guardians was when Hector and Alphonzo set up their evil deeds inside of the Boat House Ride which was right above the Mystery Cavern. Even though they thought they could keep a good eye on them there, still things began to change when the Gaggles split up.

“Susannah, The Guardians are very proud of you. We expected you to achieve one small step but you have gone further than that and have shown skill and bravery on each of the five golden rules.”

“1. You showed courage when you faced down the lion, Ernie with the cream pie, (there was a chuckle throughout the group), Hector, the sheriff (even though he was trying to help you), and Alphonzo when you rescued the puppets and saved Judy from the lion. You showed courage when you stood up to Bozo when you thought he was kidnapping Jane.

2. You showed wisdom when you did not reveal your knowledge to your friends.

3.You showed cleverness and intelligence when you solved the puzzles of the predictions and rings that Madame Mimi gave you and your friends and also when you listened to your hunches and recognized the puppets, the identity of Ernie.

4. You showed compassion when you saved the animals who were actually people being held captive.

5. You showed sacrifice when you saved your friends by making sure they were safe in the elevator instead of yourself.

“Because of you, Benny can now be free. He is no long made to dance to the calliope. AND he now knows that witches are real. All of the puppets have been changed back into kids. The monkeys and dogs are people again. The lion is a cowboy sheriff.”

I looked around the circle. There was my family and they were all smiling at me. And then Grandad gravely said with authority, “As the Grand Master of The Guardians, it gives me great pleasure to announce, that you, Susannah, are ready to enter our portals as a novice. Think hard about your decision because it carries with it a great responsibility to yourself and others that will bring you many challenges. Your journey will be one of service and enlightenment. It will take you on many adventures – some exhilarating and some full of disappointment but all will fill your life with amazement. Are you prepared to take that step?”

But that’s another story.

Later that night, I asked my dad, “How did you keep the identity of Bozo a secret from Alphonzo?”

“I’m good, he said with a wink, “I’m super dad.”

As I was falling to sleep that night dreaming of the magic elevator, a cold chill ran up my spine and I shivered suddenly in my bed thinking of all of the close calls we had had that week. But my friends would never know it – I wouldn’t tell them. I promised – honest!

Beware. Somebody once said ”something wicked this way comes.” And they knew what they were talking about.

Ray Bradbury, 1962