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Just as the thrashing animal stamped its hooves in the spot where his head had been, Toby was wrenched out of the way. A firm, claw–like hand clamped over his mouth to stop him from calling out. As suddenly as it appeared, the stag was reigned in and pulled away by its keeper, who had now regained control.
‘You are safe, brother,’ whispered a girl’s voice.
Toby looked up. He guessed she was about fifteen. Her skin was laced with soft, snow-white feathers. Removing her hand from his mouth, she revealed yellow, gnarled fingers. Her fingernails were blackened and sharp like hooked talons. But other than those monstrous deformities, the rest of her was as enchanting as a mythical princess.
‘Remember, it is just an illusion,’ she soothed, and the talons on one hand melted away in a foggy vapour, revealing a slender girl’s hand beneath. ‘I’m Stella,’ she smirked. ‘Don’t be afraid. We don’t bite. Much.’ Stella, the owl-girl, pulled Toby to his feet and he dusted himself down breathlessly.
‘C’mon, people! Chop chop! We’ve got a show to perform,’ Melvin interrupted. He ushered the performers who had stopped to watch the drama into the Big Top to take up their positions. Re-joining them, and now recovered from the shock, Toby followed them into the tent and waited in the wings as Nicko had instructed. The Winter Freak Show was about to begin.
Toby was astounded by the sheer size of the Big Top. From the outside, it looked only slightly more spacious than the other fabric dwellings, but the inside was huge, to the point where it seemed impossible. In a circle of tiered bench seating sat hundreds of spectators.
Gentlemen held their top hats in their hands while their wives watched through looking glasses. Children squabbled over sweet treats handed out by some of Nicko’s uniformed attendants. In the centre was a circular stage where Nicko himself now stood.
He waited patiently, playing his mesmerising tune, his top hat shining in the hazy light of the flame torches. To settle the crowd, the living shadows darted from place to place. They sprung up from under seats to hush rowdier audience members and guided children back to their parents.
The Big Top fell into an expectant hush. The metronome of the drumbeat boomed on, building gradually to a drumroll. With expert timing, both the drums and Nicko’s fiddle stopped playing simultaneously. The Top was plunged into silence.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am Nicko, your ringmaster. Welcome to the annual Winter Freak Show!’ Nicko began confidently.
From the sides of the stage, attendants lit indoor fireworks. The rockets streamed into the air and lit up the whole tent as they exploded. Many of the crowd had never seen such a spectacle before so they marvelled at the multi-coloured light show. Toby’s eyes twinkled as he stared at the scene in awe.
‘Tonight,’ Nicko continued, ‘you will witness bizarre creatures, mesmerising acts, stunning acrobatics, and feats so brain-bogglingly impossible, you’ll wonder how we did them for the rest of your lives. Give a round of applause for... The Winter Freak Show!’
As the spectators erupted into rapturous applause, Nicko slipped off the stage and his performers charged in from the edges of the platform. The creatures of illusion poured in on all fours, or unfurled their wings and took flight. A torrent of excited and frightened gasps passed through the audience.
The steady drumbeat returned as background noise, joined now by panpipes and a harp. In all, there were over thirty elves on show. A team of acrobats scurried up ropes and began swinging and flipping into the crowd, never colliding despite coming incredibly close.
The Winter Freak Show had indeed began, and for the next hour, the acrobats performed. They made human towers, executed complex trapeze acts, flipped and flew, the danger of their feats never letting up, not even for a second. It was a fluent, practiced display of skill that even experienced circus performers would marvel at.
Yet there was something about the way they moved that suggested all was not as it seemed. It was as if they were bending the laws of physics. Toby was certain no human had ever achieved what they did. And yet, despite their remarkable skills, the performers acted as though their talents were commonplace.
The act moved on to sword swallowing and fire breathing. It was unclear how they performed the latter without the aid of paraffin or any other flammable liquid. Then the two skills were combined in a breath-taking finale of flaming blades.
When the dazzling display was over, Nicko moved back into the centre of the stage and offered the audience a short interval to buy snacks. They returned eagerly to their seats and he was waiting for them with his red violin set under his chin.
Then the freaks filed in once more. For the next half an hour Nicko played joyfully and allowed children from the audience to come down and join in as the freaks filled the stage. The crowd’s reaction to them was a mix of shock and fascination.
Their outfits were extremely convincing. If Toby didn’t know better, he would have thought that they really were freaks. Their feathers, fur, and folds of skin seemed to be fused seamlessly with their natural features. As far as the audience were concerned, they were real.
Acting as if they were dangerous and unpredictable, Nicko played to the crowd, pretending that his violin put them in a trance. He laughed as some of the more courageous children from the audience edged closer to the untethered creatures, wanting to touch them.
Once, he ordered them to reach out and stroke their fur and feathers, all the while keeping the ‘beasts’ under his control. It was only when their hands were inches away that he yelled out suddenly. A wave of shock passed over the audience. The children almost jumped out of their skins. Their parents burst into hysterics, initially panic, then laughter. At last, he came to the children’s aid. He even helped them to climb onto the seemingly sedated freaks’ backs so that they could ride them up the stairs back to their seats.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,’ he exclaimed finally to the audience. I regret to tell you that the evening is drawing to a close.’
His announcement was followed by a wave of pantomime boos, hisses, and jeers.
‘However... we do have one more trick up our sleeves. A glorious finale, if you will. One thing is guaranteed; the next few minutes will contain the most impressive illusion you will ever witness.’ This appeased the audience as they settled down and applauded enthusiastically.
‘Now, in order for this extremely dangerous act to happen at all, we have to ensure none of my performers will get hurt. Please, you must be still and remain quiet, or you’ll scare our greatest artistes. They are the jewels in our crown, but they are skittish. They have come all the way from my home country, in the Scandinavian wilderness. There, they are admired by all. I guarantee you will never see more majestic creatures.’
Silence descended.
When he was sure all was calm, Nicko stroked his beard and whistled. His gaze darted over to where Toby was standing. At first, the young boy thought it was him that was expected out in front of the audience. He was confused, but it quickly became apparent that the real stars of the show were waiting patiently behind him.
As he stepped aside, a train of huge reindeer were guided past him. They jingled enchantingly as they walked, each with a set of sleigh bells attached to their ankles. Their handlers positioned them in a line facing Nicko. The crowd rumbled with excited whispers.
‘Look at those horns,’ said a child near Toby.
‘They’re called antlers, dear,’ said the mother.
‘Yes, son, almost as impressive as the one I shot on my travels, don’t you think?’ the father boasted.
‘Albert! You shouldn’t say such things to the boy. Anyway, they’re much more impressive than your trophy head from Scotland.’
Toby didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. He was focused on the deer in front of him. Their vast antlers looked like white trees made of bone, stretching far away from their heads. They were terrifying and beautiful at the same time. There was an air of nervousness about the reindeer, but also the warning of dormant brutality, as if they could never truly be tamed. He was glad he didn’t have to confront them again. Once was enough.
‘My most welcome guests, prepare to feast your eyes, for I am about to perform the last trick of the night with these spectacular creatures.’ Nicko glanced casually at the pocket watch he kept on a chain in his breast pocket.
‘My elves will tie a rope around my body and tether me to two large beams so I am unable to move. I will then make the sound of a huntsman’s horn – a sound so abhorrent to these gentle creatures that they will charge towards me by instinct without mercy. Then, as with all death-defying acts, I will escape unharmed with only moments to spare. “You’re mad!” I hear you cry. Well, maybe I am, but it’s Christmas, and I’m hoping for a Christmas miracle of my own. So let’s begin.’
A pair of robed elves rushed out with a long rope. With nimble fingers, they wound it around Nicko’s portly frame and tied each end to posts out of his reach. One took away his violin. Only Nicko and the eight towering reindeer remained on the stage under the watchful eyes of the audience.
Pursing his lips and blowing hard, Nicko made the sound of a hunter’s horn, and he waited. Initially nothing happened. Everybody watched as the animals shifted uncertainly but held still. The sound only seemed to be a mild annoyance. Then, gesturing its disapproval with the flick of an ear, one of the reindeer stamped a hoof threateningly. A sleigh bell tied around its ankle jingled. Then silence again.
Nicko blew a second time. This time he got an angrier response. The front two reindeer stirred irritably, and when they did this the others followed. As if disturbed by a wolf, they all charged at once. The drumbeat surged into life, synchronising with the pounding hooves of the stags. The spectators leaned in, shocked but unable to look away as Nicko struggled with the ropes that held him in place. The reindeer charged on. At first, the crowd grinned with anxious delight, the torchlight flickering on their faces.
But their expressions suddenly turned to horror when they realised something was horribly wrong. Nicko called out for help. The ropes that they expected would slacken, continued to hold him firmly in place. People shrieked as he stared wide-eyed at a forest of razor-sharp antlers. Nobody could do anything to help Nicko in the few seconds it would take for them to close in on him.
- Writer
