9
1515 Words
9
––––––––
Morning broke to the sound of a raid. When the full force of the Metropolitan Police Service surged into The Winter Freak Show camp, all except Nicko were unprepared. The majority of the children had forgotten the shenanigans of the night before, having performed and slept since then. The hunting party had returned empty handed and Nicko offered no explanation as to why he had sent them after Toby in the first place.
Nicko was waiting with a small bag of possessions already packed, along with his violin and his hat, when they came to take him away. Toby was with them. He felt terrible when he saw the lost look on the children’s faces. They watched helplessly as their protector was arrested in front of them. Toby comforted himself with the thought that they could all have fallen victim to Nicko’s macabre habit if he hadn’t intervened. Handing himself over without a fuss, Nicko allowed the officers to restrain him and followed them out of the campsite. Turning to his elves, he cleared his throat for silence.
‘My children, I think we know why these policemen are here to take me away. It is because they are afraid for your safety.’ The crowd of youngsters gave pantomime boos, and laughed, thinking that the Bobbies’ arrival was all part of some elaborate game. Nicko was renowned for his practical jokes. ‘But I assure you, children, that I’ll straighten out this misunderstanding. We’ll be back in business in no time at all. Just you wait and see. Hold the fort, my elves. Look after the littles, Melvin.’
Melvin nodded miserably. ‘I’ll try my best,’ he replied and waited for the officers to take Nicko away.
As everyone watched, Toby glanced over at Melvin. A relieved smirk crossed his face. He looked knowingly at Toby, mouthed the words, ‘thank you’, and scuttled away.
Toby felt terrible. Even though Nicko was the London Monster, he felt bad that he was leaving The Winter Freak Show. Nicko had been more of a father to the performers than anyone else had ever been, and it wasn’t just the other children that needed that. Toby was just as helpless.
Knowing that there would be no show that night, Toby decided to head to the local magistrate at Newgate. Nicko would be held there until he was convicted of his crimes. Toby wanted to understand how such a warm and friendly man could commit so much evil. And there was only one way to do that; he had to confront him.
***
With a groan, the weighty, iron gate swung open and Toby was let into the holding cell at the magistrates. At first, the officers at the front desk had been reluctant to let him visit.
Having been the one who ratted Nicko out to the police, they thought he was putting himself in harm’s way. But Toby told them that he needed answers, suggesting that he wanted to hear an explanation of the atrocities from the old man’s own mouth. He said that his trust had been broken. They seemed to understand after that, and showed him the way to the cells. A towering policeman with a puffy moustache and a stern glare assured him that he would be waiting just outside the door if he needed any assistance.
‘Ah, Toby, I wondered when you’d get here,’ Nicko smiled, sitting upright on a single bed.
There was a twinkle in his eye and he looked at Toby like he was welcoming an old friend. If Toby didn’t know better, the look would have fooled him even then.
The surroundings were that of complete squalor. There was a small, uneven table, a grubby bucket for a washbasin, and a chamber pot next to the moth-eaten bed. They were nothing at all like the furnishings at The Winter Freak Show. And yet the ringmaster looked as pristine as ever. His cherry-red top hat lay on his neatly folded coat on the floor next to the bed. His beard had been combed and he looked fresh – unworried for a man who faced the magistrates.
‘Why did you do it?’ Toby snapped, getting straight to the point.
‘What, m’boy? You mean you’re not here to clear my name?’
‘Why would I do that? I’m the one who put you here.’
Nicko sighed. ‘Look, Toby, I know how it looks. I realise where you’ve gone wrong. I’m not the murderer you think I am. I thought you would have realised that by now.’ He seemed a little annoyed for a moment, but it quickly passed.
‘What?’ Toby’s head spun. ‘You’re seriously trying to get out of this? Even now, after I’ve seen the bodies in your caravan?’
‘Bodies? Did you?’ Nicko prodded playfully like a grandparent with a clueless child, his irritation forgotten. He smiled affectionately, despite his predicament. ‘It was dark in that room. Are you sure what you saw were bodies? Or did your mind just let you see what you wanted to see?’
‘I know exactly what I saw.’
Nicko reached into the bag he had packed before the police had arrived. Toby cautiously stepped back, but the old man waved a hand casually to suggest that he had nothing to fear. Out of the depths of the bag, he pulled what looked like the body of a child. Toby recoiled in horror. But his heart rate slowed to normal when he realised it wasn’t a child at all. It was a doll. Red clothes were painted onto its wooden body.
‘I make and paint these in my free time. They are gifts for the good children who visit the show. Could this be what you saw?’ he asked.
‘I... suppose so...’ Toby replied, suddenly uncertain.
‘Well could you please tell that to the nice man at the gate?’
‘Don’t patronise me.’
Nicko sighed. ‘I’m sorry. But this whole mess needs to be sorted out as soon as possible. Please can you just tell the turnkey you’ve made a mistake?’
‘I don’t need to. If you’re telling the truth then the police will find the dolls in your carriage. Then you’ll be set free.’
‘Yes. That’s true, I suppose. Only, I have a bit of a problem, Toby.’ His face looked suddenly grave. ‘The police are looking for someone to blame. This investigation has been going on for too long and, from what I’ve gathered, the police are going to make me the scapegoat. They won’t let me out any time soon and... tomorrow is a very important day for me and The Winter Freak Show. We have to move on; we’re on a tight schedule.’
‘I’m sure it can wait until...’
‘No, it can’t. I really need to have my name cleared and be released before nightfall or something quite troublesome will happen.’
‘How troublesome?’
‘Very. Let’s just say bad things will happen to good people.’
‘Are you threatening me?’ said Toby, shocked.
‘No, no, my boy. It wasn’t a threat, Toby. There’s no need to be afraid of me. Nobody should be afraid of me.’ Nicko looked solemn.
‘Wait a minute. If you’re as innocent as you say you are, how did you know that I thought you were the child abductor all of London has been talking about? Why would that even cross your mind?’
Nicko reached into his bag again and pulled out a rolled up newspaper. It was the same one Toby had read in the high street when he first noticed the link between The Winter Freak Show and the missing children.
‘You dropped this in my workshop. As soon as I saw the front page and the way you looked at me after you came running out of my workshop, I realised what it must have looked like to you. Now, I realise this isn’t really the time for a story, but I need to explain to you properly what’s going on. Have you ever heard of a man called Saint Nicholas?’
‘Yes, Santa Claus. Everybody knows the lie parents tell their children. We used to dream about being told that lie in the workhouse. What has that got to do with all of this?’
‘Let me explain,’ Nicko whispered, pulling a bizarre item out of his bag. It was a wooden ball, slightly larger than an apple. It looked really old and was covered in painted symbols that appeared to be from a different time and a more primitive people. Toby wanted to ask about it, but Nicko shot him a warning glance, asking him not to interrupt. Twisting it in his hands, Nicko tapped the markings gently. Pressing his thumb into a painted patch that resembled a cloud, he paused.
Suddenly, Toby felt a warm sensation wash over him. His movements slowed as if he were wading through treacle. But he didn’t feel like he was in danger. Movement was impossible, but for some reason he didn’t mind. Something told him everything would be fine.
The guard outside the door floated away and Toby glanced around as the walls and floor melted out of sight. It dawned on him that he wasn’t in the cell any more. The air shimmered like a mirage. As it fizzled, a place very different from the grotty inside of the cell came into view.
‘Whoa,’ he uttered.
- Writer
