Carnivaal

Bert waited anxiously, his tiny, seed-like eyes surveying the arena. He was only one of thousands scrutinizing the scenery. This was the first time he had come to the Caterpian Carnivaal, the first time his father had finally given into his pleas. He had heard about the Carnivaal ever since he could remember and now he was finally here. He had never seen so many Caterpines all in one place in his entire life. It was thrilling. It was daunting. He was used to his small home and humble way of life. His days were spent helping his mother with cooking, cleaning and other household chores she required his assistance with. His ventures outside of their safe abode primarily consisted of gathering food with his father, when his brittle and ailing skeleton was too weak with age to complete the task without the help of his son. They had a simple way of life and their friends were few but the ties were strong. To be surrounded by this grandeur was, in many ways, alarming. His father, a gentle old soul, as plain a character as there ever was, shifted uneasily in his seat, his tired eyes darting from side to side, waiting for a predator to pounce, providing him with the opportunity to insist that they leave the enormity of this unfamiliar territory. Bert, however, was exhilarated.

Bert’s mother, a boisterous and robust character, fitted with a warm heart and a large stomach, had opted to stay home. She had seen the Caterpian Carnivaal many, many times. In fact, until she met Bert’s father, she was in it. Those days were long gone, however, and she had tucked those tantalizing scenes into her memories, to be kept forever, but kept secretly. Though all Caterpines loved the Caterpian Carnivaal, the performers purportedly spent their days engaged in scandalous matters. Matters no self respecting Caterpine would even think about, let alone participate in. But again, no one knew for certain whether the rumors contained any degree of reality.

Performers in the Carnivaal had agreed since its inception that what went on behind the scenes would never, ever, become public knowledge. In part because there was a bit of scandal involved, but mostly because it was a successful marketing strategy. It kept the Caterpines talking. It kept them coming. It provided a stable livelihood for the performers. And though Bert’s mother missed the camaraderie of her fellow performers and the intrigue and admiration from onlookers, she did not miss the long hours of practice. Her aching body had grown stiffer with each passing year. It took longer and longer for her to warm up for rehearsals. The long journeys from town to town grew more arduous and exhausting. It was on one of these journeys that she happened to meet Bert’s father.

It was a windy day, the force of the gusts around their ears sounded like thunderous waves crashing to the shore. Trees swayed heavily from side to side, their leaves clapping together, taking flight. The wind urged them to dance, faster, faster!, and found itself being merrily obeyed. The earth took flight as billows of dust transformed the sky into an opaque screen. It was in the midst of this elemental turmoil that the steadiness of the relationship between Fabiola and Humphrey, Bert’s parents, began. Fabiola, or Fabi as her friends called her, had yearned for peace, tranquility and stability but had never realized this until she encountered Humphrey. Humphrey had yearned for companionship, nurturing, and a bit more excitement, which he was fully aware of, but would never admit.

The cast of the Carnivaal had stopped for the evening in a tiny hideaway of a town. The weather waged war against the canvas clouds of their covered wagons and Humphrey the Happy Hermit, as the townsfolk had grown to call him, nervously watched from safety of the small porthole in the side of his narrow abode. He had seen the entourage several times before, as they toured the same cities and followed the same thoroughfares each year. Humphrey’s home was nestled just off of one of these roads. This was the first time, however, that he had laid eyes on Fabi. As he peered out of his porthole he caught a glimpse of her, sitting alone, and for the first time he felt the urge to introduce himself to someone, though he never mustered the courage to actually do so. Fabi, familiar with unknown faces watching her every movement, had not thought much of his attention at first. She figured his gaze would soon find a new source of interest to be fixed upon. But, not realizing she was aware of his presence, Humphrey did no such thing. Fabi, who usually opted out of mingling with anyone outside of the Carnivaal crew, was now intrigued. She slowly arose from her cozy shelter, making a point to seem as natural as can be so as not to arouse the suspicion of her spectator.

Fabi sauntered her way to the front of the caravan, out of Humphrey’s view. With a sigh Humphrey closed the porthole and settled into his favorite chair in his sparsely furnished domicile, which included two identical chairs (yet out of these two he still managed to have a favorite), his small and rickety bed, a small fireplace where he did all of his cooking, a square table whose fourth leg was shorter than the other three, and a large flat stone placed under this leg to keep the table somewhat level. Though it was not much to speak of, Humphrey was incredibly fond of his house and spent most of his time in it. As he was admiring his surroundings he heard an unfamiliar tap at the door. The noise was unfamiliar not because it sounded different than a knock from one of his neighbors, but unfamiliar because no one ever knocked. He then remembered the weather and assumed it must have been a bit of shrubbery that had found its way to his doorstep. Fearful it would damage his beautiful door, Humphrey arose from his seat to inspect the source of the sound. He cautiously opened the door, his body tensed in anticipation of the blast of cold wind he would face. Humphrey shook with surprise as he found Fabi, not foliage, at his door. They both stood there for a moment, stupefied, not knowing what to do next. An honorable sort of fellow, Humphrey was fearful of what the neighbors would think if he asked Fabi in. He was also worried he would be perceived as inhospitable if he kept her standing in his doorway in such tumultuous weather. Both looked at each other, perplexed. Though Fabi was far more outgoing than Humphrey, she was nevertheless not accustomed to meeting strangers. Performing for them, absolutely, but speaking with them? That was entirely different. But there was something about this solitary Caterpine that had captivated her and caused her to overcome her apprehension. Eventually Humphrey, overcome with his own curiosity, offered her his favorite chair.

Though they had come from different worlds their commonalities brought them together in that small room. To his astonishment and delight, Humphrey made room for Fabi in his home and in his heart. They had both intended to converse for an hour or so, but with the close of that hour, and each hour following, they found themselves not wanting to part. As the awakening sun rose Humphrey and Fabi forced themselves to conclude their encounter. Fabi snuck back into her place in the caravan before anyone noticed she had ever been gone.

Each of the single performers, and most performers were single, shared their particular wagon with two others, and both of Fabi’s roommates had spent the evening with a few other friends in one of the other, larger, wagons. Accustomed to Fabi’s more solitary preferences, they thought nothing of her not wanting to join them for their evening festivities. Fabi returned to their wagon just before the two came strolling back. Her sense of adventure and desire for socializing had progressively dulled, as her body progressively ached, her age wearing on her frame and her heart. She had, in many ways, grown weary of the months of practicing routines, the incredible task of constructing their stage, assembling the giant framework of the enormous props.

They had recently added a new act that involved the immensely popular Orb. Its proportions were gigantic, resembling a huge upside down pear. Only it had 6 sections, divided much like those of a hot air balloon. The head of the Carnivaal himself had choreographed a new number, where the performers twirled and swayed in precision up the center of each of its 6 sections. It took months before they were able to do so without sliding off of the Orb’s smooth surface, or running into each other as they desperately tried to stay in perfectly straight lines as they stomped and jumped. Once Fabi managed to tangle a couple of her quills with those of the person next to her on a particularly challenging set of chaînés. She frowned with embarrassment as practice had to be brought to a halt so that they could resolve the dilemma. The routine grew increasingly difficult as they added the second component. The Orb was set upon a giant circular tarp where additional performers waited for everyone to file into place before their work began. Once everyone had taken their places the floor team, spaced evenly around the tarp, would grab the tarp and lift it, and the entire Orb, off of the ground. At this point they would walk in a circular fashion, holding the tarp so it rotated, with all of the other Caterpine performers attached to the Orb still dancing in rhythmic precision, rotating with them. It was a grand performance and an incredible crowd pleaser. For Fabi, while it was exhilarating, it had become exhausting.

Now older than most of the other performers, she did not know how much longer she could keep up. Thus, when offered the promise of a different life, a life offered by Humphrey, Fabi jumped at the chance. When she announced to her friends and comrades that she would not be continuing on with them to the next major city, that she was going to opt out of the Carnivaal, everyone was shocked including Fabi herself. But she had made up her mind in that tiny room that it was time for a change. And Humphrey had done the same. Together they took a chance and decided to begin a new chapter together.

Fabi and Humphrey had greatly enjoyed their life together, in spite of a few anticipated bumps that arose, and their joy grew still more when they welcomed their son into their quiet life. Now sitting by his father’s side, Bert gasped as the Caterpian Carnivaal began. Humphrey’s eyes continued to dart back and forth, though now in wonder at the scene unfolding in front of him as opposed to an imagined danger. The two sat wide-eyed and astonished, hand in hand.