The Guild of Fallen Clowns (38 page)

“But maybe it’s not too late to work things
out. Maybe you can get back together and be partners again,” cosmo
drinker said.

Sam smiled. “Maybe you should take your own
advice. Maybe it’s not too late for you.” Sam patted his back and
walked away.

Jerry noticed him heading toward the exit.
“Leaving so soon, Sam?” he snickered.

Sam grinned and nodded. “Yup, I have to see
an old friend.”

Jerry’s expression turned somber. “Take care
of yourself, Sam.”

Sam waved and left the bar. Outside, he
stopped, took in a few deep breaths, and slowly exhaled. He peered
over at his car and walked to the driver’s side door. Peeking
through the window, he saw the figure lying on the seat where he
left it. Without hesitating, he opened the door and sat down. He
grabbed the figure and took a long hard look before tossing it over
his shoulder to the back seat.

“It’s just a toy,” he muttered as he turned
the key and backed out of the parking spot. “Just a stupid toy,” he
repeated before shifting and driving away.

“‘The Ringmaster’ is his legal name. He had
it changed,” Alan said to Mary. “When you see him, you’ll get it,
but don’t say anything, because he’s not all there.”

“I wouldn’t say anything mean,” she said as
they approached the booth. Then Mary saw what could only be The
Ringmaster in his interesting costume and stopped. “Oh, I see what
you mean. Does he really think he’s a ringmaster?” she said.

“No, he’s not
that
bad. He just wants
to be one. He wants to be someone important, with power. He just
doesn’t recognize his own limitations, and he’s extremely paranoid.
He thinks I’m out to get him.”

Mary’s mouth opened as she turned to look at
the curiously dressed carny. “Are you serious? He thinks you are
out to get him? Why would he think that?”

“Well, he doesn’t really think I want to
hurt him or anything like that. He thinks I’m out to take his
job

or, eh, the job he wants. I don’t know
what’s going on under that top hat. Like I said, he’s not all
there.”

Ringmaster noticed the two standing ten feet
from his booth and snarled.

“Oh my god!” Mary mumbled. “You’re right,
that guy definitely doesn’t like you.”

“Don’t worry, he’s harmless. At least that’s
what Cracky tells me.”

“Maybe we should go somewhere else. This guy
looks like he’s going to bite you if we get any closer,” she
said.

“He’s harmless,” Alan repeated, not knowing
which of them he was trying to convince. “Let’s say hi.” He took
Mary’s hand and led her to the counter along the front of
Ringmaster’s booth. Ringmaster’s nose cringed as their eyes met.
His head turned away and he moved to set up fresh stacks of lead
bottles.

“I think you scared him,” Mary whispered.
Alan smiled.

“Ringmaster!” he called out. The Ringmaster
turned.

“Why are you back, clown? They fired
you.”

“I wasn’t fired,” Alan said. “They just
didn’t need me anymore due to the fire in the Labyrinth. Tonight
I’m here as a customer.” He looked at Mary and said, “I’m on a
date.”

Ringmaster didn’t look at her. His eyes
remained locked on Alan until customers stepped up beside the
pair.

“How much?” a young man asked.

“A buck for three shots,” Ringmaster
replied. The customer turned to two of his friends lined up beside
him and all three slapped dollar bills on the counter.

Getting back into character, Ringmaster
barked out to the gathering crowd, “One dollar buys you three
chances. Knock the bottles down once and win a prize. Three tries
for a dollar. Three balls for a buck.” He handed each of them three
baseballs and stepped to the side near the stacked bottles.

“Psst!”

Ringmaster turned toward the sound. Behind
the tarp wall, he saw Geno peeking out from his back room.

“Come back here. I need to talk to you about
something,” Geno whispered.

“On three,” one of the customers said, as
all three prepared to fire.

“Hey Ringmaster,” Alan said. He laid a
dollar on the counter. “I’d like to give it a try.”

Ringmaster glared at Alan, then back through
the crack at Geno.

“Now, Ringmaster,” Geno ordered.

“Three!” The customers launched their balls.
One missed completely while the other two toppled the top bottle
from their stacks. Ringmaster held a finger up to prevent them from
firing as he restacked the bottles and stepped to the opening to
the rear on the opposite side. Before stepping through, he told the
customers and Alan to hold on till he came back out.

“What the hell,” one of the customers said.
“Where’d he go? He could have at least waited until we threw a
couple more balls.” They all shook their heads in disbelief.

“What do you want, I’m working,” Ringmaster
said.

“I know, but this is important.”

“Go on, then, tell me.”

“I’m going to be leaving and I want you to
take over the Labyrinth. The problem is that Cracky doesn’t want to
give it to you. He doesn’t think you’re ready, and he’s thinking
about giving it to Alan.”

“The clown?” Ringmaster growled.

“Yes, but you and I know that you’re the
best person for the job. Hell, you’ll probably be better than
me.”

“That’s what I keep telling Cracky. I can’t
believe he wants to give it to that fucking clown,” Ringmaster said
with his teeth clenched so tight Geno could hear them grinding.

“Yeah, you have charisma. I’m good with the
technical stuff, but I can teach you all that. You can’t teach
charisma.”

“Yeah, I have charisma,” Ringmaster
repeated.

“That’s right, buddy. The job should go to
you. You’ve earned it, and I figured out how to make it happen. I
already talked to Alan about it and he said he would back out and
let you have the job if you make it so that he wins one of the big
prizes for his girlfriend.”

“That’s it? He’ll walk away for a stupid
stuffed animal?”

“I know, some guys will do anything for a
girl. But it can’t be any prize. It has to be one of the big ones,”
Geno said.

Ringmaster laughed. “Stupid clown.”

“I know, stupid, right? I think the clown is
thinking with his little clown head,” Geno said.

Ringmaster chuckled. “Small clown head,” he
repeated.

“Now, get back up there and stack the
special
bottles for Alan. We’ll start your training
tomorrow.”

Ringmaster nodded and returned to the front.
Alan and Mary had already decided not to wait. They were twenty
feet away when Ringmaster called out to them. “Hey, Alan, c’mon
back.” Alan and Mary turned to see Ringmaster smiling and waving
them back to his booth.

“Dr. Jekyll, I presume,” Mary muttered. Alan
laughed and they returned to the booth.

The other customers finished their shots and
two decided to give it another try while the third watched.

“I’m sorry, Alan,” Ringmaster said. “I just
found out.” He grinned and winked at Alan.

“Found out what?” Alan replied.

“Here, three balls. Now give me a second to
set up the first stack for you.” Ringmaster turned and pulled three
bottles from below the shelf. He set them up and stood to the
side.

Alan and Mary shared a look of confusion.
Then Alan shrugged and wound up for his first throw. At the same
time, the other two customers were preparing to throw their own
baseballs. All three fired within a split second of each other.
Alan hit the top bottle, which took down the two below it as it
fell. One of the other customers hit dead center, knocking the top
bottle from the stack while the bottom two remained standing.

“You did it!” Mary cheered.

“How did he do that?” the customer beside
Alan asked. “He only hit the top bottle and they all fell.” His
friend suggested that maybe that was the secret, that they should
aim for the top bottles.

By this time, Mary’s cheering and
Ringmaster’s calling out to the crowd, indicating they had a
winner, pulled in a crowd around them. Geno stepped out from his
hiding place beside the booth and shoved his way through the crowd.
He was oblivious to the toes he stepped on and the rude shoves he
gave people on his mission to get up close to Mary and her purse.
As Alan was preparing for his second throw, Geno stood directly
behind Mary in the thickening crowd.

The two guys beside Alan threw first. Both
nailed the top bottles of their stacks, toppling them while the
bottom bottles remained motionless.

“I don’t get it,” one said. “We both hit the
top and the stacks didn’t fall.”

Alan pulled back and hurled his ball for a
direct hit between the bottom bottles. The bottles not only fell,
but the force blew them off the shelf completely.

Geno backed away from the zipper of Mary’s
purse as she jumped to cheer for Alan’s second successful throw.
Ringmaster formed an even larger crowd around his booth as he
announced the second stack winner. Could Alan do it again and take
home one of the grand prizes?

“Maybe he was just lucky,” the non-playing
friend advised his two buddies. “I say you aim for the middle
again. Don’t go for the top bottle.”

They watched Alan, and waited to throw at
the same time. The crowd was still as they watched in anticipation.
This was Geno’s last chance. With help from the increasing pressure
of the crowd, he pressed closer to Mary. He began to lift the
Peepers figure up to her open bag. Alan’s arm cocked back. Geno had
to move fast, so he laid the figure over the opening. Alan and the
two customers fired at the same instant. The first two hit dead
center and rocked the stacks, sending the top bottles over. Alan’s
ball hit the top bottle dead center, sending it to the plywood
backdrop a foot behind the stack. Ringmaster clapped and nudged his
knee into the table. The table shook and Alan’s bottom bottles
toppled over. The stacks of the other players also rocked and each
lost another bottle, leaving one standing.

Mary screamed and jumped. As she did, the
figure of Peepers bounced from her purse. Geno lunged and caught it
before it hit the ground. The three guys huffed as they shoved Geno
and others out of their path, cursing their way through the
crowd.

Geno attempted to close in on Mary again,
but his crowd cover was thinning, and she was too exposed for him
to pull it off. Ringmaster shouted to the crowd as he handed Mary
an oversized black and white panda bear. Geno slithered unnoticed
to the Labyrinth.

*****

“Turn on the campus station, Bear is DJ’ing
tonight,” Loren shouted from the backseat. Holly pressed the button
and the girls jumped right in to the hip-hop song already in
progress. Their elbows rose up in front of them and they snapped
and sang along to the rhythm. Megan sat beside Holly up front with
her purse on the console between them. As she reached for the
volume knob, her purse tipped with the opening angled between Holly
and the steering wheel.

“That’s right, girl, pump up the volume,”
Caitlyn shouted. Holly joined in, pumping one hand and hooting to
the music. The song ended and Holly adjusted the volume down to a
level where the thumping couldn’t be felt in the cars and homes
they passed.

“Oh my god, guys,” Caitlyn said. “I hope
they didn’t eat all the Jell-o shots.”

Megan threw her arms up to the roof. “Jell-o
shots!” she yelled. The others glanced at her. Her eyes were half
shut and she slumped into the door.

“Dudes, she’s hammered,” Loren said. All
three laughed as Megan tucked her hands under her head and passed
out. Seated behind Holly, Caitlyn reached up and flicked Megan’s
shoulder with her finger. Seconds later, Megan’s right hand emerged
from below her head and hovered over the spot in an apparent
attempt to wave off the long gone intruding finger.

“You guys are carrying her in this time,”
Holly said, looking in the rearview mirror with one eyebrow raised.
Loren and Caitlyn looked at each other.

“No way, Loren,” Caitlyn said. “It’s your
turn this time. She puked on me when I helped her to the toilet
last Saturday.”

“Yeah, that was after I helped Holly carry
her from the car. It’s your turn to get her into the house.”

“Okay, but you have to help because I’m not
strong enough,” Caitlyn said.

Holly smiled as she listened to them argue
it out, the whole time keeping her out of the possible scenarios.
The argument and volume intensified and they started talking over
each other. Holly concentrated on the road and tried to stay out of
the negotiations. She stopped at a light and felt something nudge
into her right leg. She looked down to see the figure slipped half
out of Megan’s purse.

“Ahh! It’s looking at me!” she yelped. The
heated discussion came to a halt as both girls looked forward. The
light turned green and Holly pressed the pedal. The girls faced
each other again and continued where they left off. “Fine, what if
we bring one of the porch chairs to the car and put her in it?”
Loren said.

“Then we wait till she throws up before we
both
carry her inside,” Caitlyn added.

As they hatched out the details of their
plan, Holly looked down at the figure still pressed against her
leg. Its head appeared to be slightly tilted in her direction. She
glanced back and forth between the road and the figure. Suddenly
its lips moved.

“My name is Peepers. I represent the Guild
of Fallen Clowns,” it said. Holly’s face froze in a panic. Her eyes
widened and locked on the object.

“Holly, watch out!” Caitlyn screamed from
behind. Holly snapped her attention back to the road and slammed on
her brake, avoiding the through traffic at a red light. The jolt
sent the figure flying to the floor between her feet.

“Holy shit, Holly!” Caitlyn said. “I thought
you were sober.”