One week later…
"Dinner!" Dell exclaimed, calling all of the carnies to the large tent for their nightly meal.
First came the smaller ones—dwarves, microcephalics, and the woman born without legs. Next came Amazon Eve and her stupendous, intimidating height and presence, Paul with his short, t-rex-like arms, and Jimmy, whose fingers were fused together, sat at the other end of the table opposite Dell. The young man looked around at the entire troupe, who congregated at their usual dinner seats. Dot and Bette each fed themselves with the hands on their respective sides, holding their spoons as if they were two separate people. He got a glance of Salty and Pepper unfolding their cloth napkins—Salty placed his in the collar of his shirt, while Pepper placed hers flat on the skirt of her canary yellow dress. He watched Paul as he flipped off his raven black fedora and placed it on the table next to his utensils. Ma Petit, the world's smallest woman, sat on the lap of Eve, holding a small bowl of potato and onion soup in her hands. Ethel sat at the first seat diagonal from her son, and ate carefully so that her full, auburn beard would not be soiled by crumbs, broth, or other scraps.
"Potato and onion soup…again," Jimmy muttered distastefully, taking a small spoonful and taking it to his mouth. Ethel looked at him and shook her head.
"Be thankful for what you got. Could be shit yer eatin'," she told him, taking a bite of her food. "Once Elsa gets back, things'll be better. It's been a hard two months without 'er here."
"Ugh, I'm getting sick of having to stand Dell," Jimmy said quietly among the chatter of the carnies. Ethel rolled her eyes and drank some wine from her glass.
"Just bite yer tongue, ok?" she groaned, having been annoyed by their constant bickering since Elsa left for Europe.
"I'll do that if he does," Jimmy said, cocking an eyebrow up.
"Elsa'll be back in time for the show this Saturday," Paul said, looking down the table at Jimmy, breaking his bread with his short, heavily tattooed arms. "Hope she was successful in findin' a new act."
About ten minutes later, there was the sound of a car driving into the site of the freak show's tents and caravans. Pepper and Salty turned their conical heads backward and their jaws dropped in curiosity. Amazon Eve set Ma Petit on the ground, allowing her to run toward the entrance of the large tent they were having dinner in. The woman without legs crawled and followed everyone who went out to see who it was—it was a very luxurious vehicle with a black, shiny coat that appeared as though it were painted on. The windows were somewhat large and had small curtains on the inside, reminiscent of a funeral hearse. Ethel and Jimmy were the last people to join the others near the entrance. Dell opened the curtain a peak and saw that the person coming out of the car was Elsa with the help of a chauffeur.
"It's her, guys!" Dell declared authoritatively. "Get away from the entrance."
"Why?" Bette asked, her usual tone sweet as a dove in flight.
"Who knows what she brought back with her?" he answered with a cynical look on his face. "Just get away from the entrance. C'mon. Let's go!"
The carnies did as told, but Jimmy stayed put—he was close to the entrance but not right smack in front of the door. He moved back and away few steps, his arms crossed over his slender, muscular chest as he waited patiently for Elsa's return with the new act she had been looking for. Meanwhile, the chauffeur extended his hand to Britta, weary from the trip, and she took it as she stepped out of the car and looked at the piece of land that included the caravan residences of the carnies and the big top tent, where the shows all took place. Her eyes wandered, the sunset being her only light in seeing the bland, grassy ground covered in shades of sage green and light beige. Sweden was either lush with vegetation or rocky and cold tundra—having been to many parts of her homeland during her lifetime, she knew that America was somewhat more exciting. Each of the caravans and smaller tents were situated behind the great tent, a structure of red and white stripes with the main entrance resembling the opening of a monster's ferocious jowls. She gasped, and Elsa looked back at her, extending her hand.
"Come," she said. Britta's beautiful green eyes were full of curiosity, and as silent as she remained, the German continued by introducing her new home to her, waving out her hand forward toward the entrance of the big top.
"Welcome to my freak show," Elsa said, leading the young woman down the trail toward the open jowls of the monster that made up the entrance. Britta's eyes widened, her knees felt weak and her heart rate increased intensely. She adjusted the embroidered kerchief Elsa had placed on her head, tightening the tie as she was led into the gruesome entrance. What is this place, she thought in her mind.
On the other side of the inner black curtain, Pepper and Salty opened them, and everyone chattered as Elsa entered the great tent—a few people, the microcephalics included, clapped uncontrollably. However, Britta stayed behind the curtain—she was beyond nervous and even scared to an extent.
"Yes, I have returned," Elsa said. She looked at Dell and smiled slightly; "Thank you for being in charge while I was gone." She moved closer to him and whispered; "you're getting a little raise." Jimmy, who stood away from the entrance, rolled his eyes and pursed his lips slightly—he felt a fire burning within, a fire of anger and resentment.
"What about the newest addition to our show?" Dell asked.
"Ja, I have found one," Elsa said. Everyone smiled and cheered, but Jimmy kept a neutral expression on his face, his hard brown eyes on Dell and Elsa. The woman looked back, and noticed that Britta was not still behind her. She walked back toward the entrance and saw the young blonde standing in the shadow of the fading sunset.
"Leibchen, you can come in. There is no need to be afraid," she told her, opening the curtain to allow the petite young woman to step forward.
As Britta lifted her head, everyone gasped at her extraordinarily peaceful presence. Her distinctive Nordic features, from her intense green eyes, her fair, freckled skin, and what could be seen of her braided honey blonde hair captivated them all. Her face was gentle, hints of her high cheekbones showing as she analyzed the crowd of carnies and their unique deformities and mutations. Jimmy was also enchanted by her, but still, he looked at her strangely—she seems rather normal, he thought, there is nothing wrong with her.
"Everyone, meet Britta Nordlund," Elsa said, wrapping her arm around the young woman, whose face was streaked with red; she was embarrassed, scared, and nerve-wracked; above all, she was extremely uncomfortable being around people with so many abnormalities she had never seen before.
"Where did you find her?" Bette asked, smiling at the girl. "She's lovely."
"She's normal," Dot snided coldly, "just like the rest of them. She don't belong here."
"Stockholm, Sweden," Elsa answered to Bette before turning her eyes to her cynical, conjoined twin sister, "and no, Dot. Looks can be very deceiving. She possesses a rare ability, none the world has ever seen. I am sure you will all make her feel welcome here and make her a part of our family."
Upon hearing she had abilities, Jimmy's face brightened up slightly, smirking at the girl with disbelief—what the hell does she mean by that, he thought as he focused on the intricate embroidery of Britta's headscarf. The young Swedish woman looked around at the carnies; Salty and Pepper with their microcephaly, the woman born without legs, Desiree with her three breasts poking out in the form of cleavages, Eve with her intimidating height, Ma Petit with her delicate stature being held in her arms, Paul with his frighteningly short arms, Bette and Dot's conjoined, shared body, Dell's bulkiness, Ethel's full beard, and the few midgets and dwarfs who were no taller than four feet. Glancing over at Jimmy, whose face looked calm, she had seen no deformity on him from a distance. She sighed with relief, thinking he looked just like her—normal.
"There is no caravan for you just yet, leibchen," Elsa told Britta, placing her hands on the sides of her upper arms. She raised her voice a little so that everyone could hear her. "I hope someone will allow you to stay in theirs until further notice."
"I have some room in mine," Ethel said, raising her hand slightly. Britta looked at her—as much as she felt nervous and frightened by these freaks of nature, she smiled slightly out of charity.
"She can stay with Ma Petit and me," Eve declared.
"Either will do, ladies," Elsa said. "For now, Britta and I haven't eaten since we left the liner from London."
Pepper and a dwarf man nodded and grabbed empty, clean wooden bowls for the two as they sat at the table, serving them bread and the same bland, tasteless potato and onion soup everyone else had been eating. Once the meal was put out in front of her, Britta sighed and sat up straight, taking her spoon and scooping some broth, a diced potato piece and a shiny onion skin into her spoon. Feeling the pangs of hunger in her stomach, she took her first bite. Elsa, noticing the young woman's apprehensive behavior and facial expression, she sighed and took a bite of her own food, swallowing before speaking.
"Britta," she said.
The girl's green eyes looked at the German attentively, taking her beverage to her lips and taking a sip while Elsa leaned in to whisper.
"They are human, just like you and I," she said. "Everyone here is different in their own way. People don't come to see these freaks in the heat of day. They come in the evening, when the darkness moves in and speaks of mystery and the unknown. That is also when logic loosens its vice grip and the imagination comes out to play. The night allows the stars to shine and we come alive. We are the stars Britta." She sighed, and Britta kept listening diligently. "Your first show will be this Saturday. You are the new headlining act. Seeing you perform will be like seeing God on his own stage."
Britta just looked long and hard at Elsa, intuitively knowing that she sounded fiercely proud and determined. What does she mean, she thought to herself, if only I knew English.
"You are a star. You are special. Embrace it."
Later that night, Britta had bathed and was given a plain white nightgown by Ethel, who agreed to share her caravan with her. In comparison to the others, who had tents and small trailers, Ethel's caravan was quite lovely and sturdy—there was a violet tone to the walls inside, a small kitchenette, a large mirror on top of a short armoire, a bed, and a lounge sofa for Britta to sleep on. Ethel was standing by the mirror, trimming and grooming her beard meticulously while Britta brushed her long, honey blonde hair gently with a boar-bristled brush. As her brush made strokes down each strand, she thought about what Elsa had told her. She had only understood half of what she was saying, and she, for one, never performed for anyone before; it simply was not in her nature. Her dark past would have prevented her from doing such a thing anyhow, but her mystery would be a spectacle all in itself.
Ethel finished trimming her beard and put away the scissors and comb in the nearby aluminum can where she kept all of her grooming tools. She looked back at Britta and watched as she quietly brushed her hair, getting every tangle out of her textured strands.
"You done yet?" Ethel asked. Britta brushed one more stroke before putting the brush on her lap.
"Huh?"
"Done?" Ethel repeated, holding out her hand to collect the brush Britta was using. The young woman placed it in her palm so she could put it away. Then, the bearded lady sat on the seat across from the lounge sofa, looking at how Britta's lithe, willowy, petite frame swam in the large nightgown she was given to wear. Her gentle, small hands rested on her lap, and her dainty feet were crossed at the ankles underneath the swarm of white cotton fabric.
"You could be the World's Thinnest Girl," Ethel joked, laughing. Britta smiled a little bit to go along with whatever she had said (at least in her mind). "Do you speak?"
"Huh?" Ethel made a gesture pointing to her mouth and extending her fingers outward as if she were speaking.
"Do you speak English, girl?"
"Engelska?" Britta questioned before finally knowing what she was asking—she shook her head. "N-Nei."
"Hope Elsa can hire you a tutor or somethin'," Ethel replied with frustration, opening her legs in her seat slightly so she could lean forward and rest her sizeable elbows on her lap. "You can't go 'round speakin' nonsense or keepin' silent all the damn time."
Knowing that the bearded woman was not happy with the language barrier, Britta looked down at her long, golden strands and running her thin, frail fingers through them.
"You look real young, uh…Britta? That yer name, darlin'?" the bearded lady asked, somewhat cynical in her tone.
"I know you can't understand me, but I wanna tell ya right now. Elsa's given a home to all of us. We oughta be thankful to 'er," the bearded lady said. She gave the girl another long look again. "What makes you special?"
Britta was silent, just staring at her with wonderful green eyes and seeing her beard fold slightly as she dipped her gaze downward at her plain frock.
"Elsa had to have brought ya here for a reason. There's gotta be somethin'."
Britta, noticing the frustrated curiosity in Ethel's voice, sighed and closed her eyes, getting her focus as she saw the brush up on the armoire, not in the aluminum can with the other grooming tools. Within a minute, it lifted from the surface of the armoire and began to float in midair by her will. Ethel got up and walked slowly over toward the sight, absorbing the image in her mind as her jaw dropped slightly. Britta lifted her hand softly and swiftly pointed her finger to herself, setting the floating brush on a course toward her.
"Oh!" Ethel gasped in shock. Once it was close enough, Britta closed her hands around the brush—it stopped floating. It was the most incredible thing Ethel had seen in her entire life.
"Wow," she whispered, going toward Britta and holding her palm out to retrieve the brush. The Swede looked up at the bearded woman, giving her brush back.
"We ain't gonna let this thing of yer's be no game. Time to sleep now," the bearded lady said, walking down the steps of her caravan to her bed. She took off her slippers and laid back on her bed, pulling the blanket over her. "Goodnight, Britta."
"God natt," the girl replied, making Ethel glance with a smirk before closing her eyes for rest. The Swede turned on her side to look out the window, the full moon high in the sky being bright enough to tire her eyes enough to sleep.
