Dandy Mott was well aware that he'd be seeing Adeline the very next morning, but after feigning regret over, once it had been discovered, his murder of Dora, he had retired back to bed, and later sat out on the west lawn for most of the afternoon. Lounging on an oak chaise with luxuriant silk cushions, he incessantly rolled the hairpin he had found on the puppet show stage between his fingers. It could only belong to her; there were no other possibilities. He'd found it after she left, along with a small tuft of ostrich feather, and together with the pitch card, the three treasures had found a home on his nightstand beside his bed. Each time he rose from his push mattress, the pin was placed in the pocket of whatever garment he would be wearing. Dissatisfied with the notion of waiting another day to see Adeline, as the sun began to set Dandy roused himself from his place of repose under the clear Florida sky, and headed inside to dress, determined to see her. If he were lucky, due to the recent the lift in the curfew, there would be a show that night. If not, no matter, he'd charm her into coming out with him, and he'd buy out the movie theatre, where they'd sit side by side in the darkness, and where perhaps she'd let him hold one of her divine hands. Then he would take her for ice cream in town, where they would sit knee to knee and he'd watch her spoon or slurp some sweet confection past her thick red lips.
Dandy was surprised to observe, when he arrived at the show a few hours later, that cars were lined up in droves all along the dirt path that served as the roadway across the fairgrounds. He had purposefully left his home not long before the performance was slated to start, not wishing to arrive on time, that he might avoid interaction with any of the freaks who had so insulted him upon his first official visit. Also of paramount importance to Dandy was his desire to remain entirely unnoticed by Adeline herself, at least until the performance had concluded, if not to pass in and out of her realm without making her aware of him at all. He had aimed to make his entrance at such a time as the rest of the audience had already taken their seats, when the tent had already gone dark, and it seemed that he would be able to meet that aim, due to the lack of people milling about relative to the number of vehicles in sight. Exiting his Jaguar, he stopped for just a moment, to peer one last time into his side mirror and smooth his hair to his liking. Then he smirked in satisfaction at his own flection, and grasped each of the lapels on his sport coat, tugging gently to be certain the garment was properly draped. Then, with a sauntering swagger, he made his way to the box office.
Adeline sat on a picnic table top, her feet on the bench, waiting patiently with Max, as she listened carefully to the announcements that Jimmy made over the microphone, following along with Elsa's lineup, which she had written on a bit of notebook paper. Unconsciously, she bounced the balls of her feet on the bench, wiggling her knees the way she always did when she was worrying after someone. She had responded to a bit of commotion earlier, when Desiree had been brought, bleeding, by Jimmy, back to the tent yard. When Ethel had offered to bring her to the doctor, ordering Jimmy back on stage to make the announcements, Adeline had offered her truck, parked in an advantageous spot following her morning trip to the butcher shop, and instructed Ethel where to find the keys. Now, she made the determination to focus on the task at hand instead of entertaining thoughts of what might be wrong with Desiree and whether she'd be all right. She peered down at her lion to be certain he was comfortable. Max was rather large to be spending time in the small back stage area, waiting for their turn with so much going on, and in order to keep him happy, and cool, and out of the way, Adeline decided they would wait out back in the yard just beyond the canvas, the big cat stretched out on the ground beside the table, looking regal and unimpressed.
Ignoring the sign which read "SOLD OUT" placed directly over the announcement booth, and the matching sandwich board stating the same, situated in front of the devil's mouth, Dandy strolled inside and drew back the curtain at the end of the small hallway of the devil's throat, peering inside. A rough looking muscled man with sleeves rolled up to his biceps snapped at him, moving his substantial form to block his path.
"Hey! Sign says we're sold out, buddy!" Dell barked.
Dandy held up a soft pink palm, pinky finger weighted with his favorite ruby ring,
"Forgive me," He reached, with the same hand, into his jacket. "I do not require a seat."
Dell's disgusted, irritated face remained in the sneer that had first marred it, until he saw the bills in Dandy's hand as he pulled them from within his sport coat. On the stage, the pinheads tousled in mock combat on stage. Dandy pulled a crisp hundred-dollar bill from within the embellished white gold money clip engraved with his initials. "I'd prefer to stand….below the light tower, if I could. You could keep an eye on me." He offered a friendly expression to show he was not there to make trouble.
Not recognizing Dandy, having not yet joined the show or arrived in Jupiter when he had made his offer for the twins, Dell Toledo thought no harm could come from admitting one more paying customer, especially when he was the only one getting paid, and the bribe itself so sweet. Dell wagged his head back and forth as though he were considering the offer for longer than he had, and took the bill with a feigned reluctance.
"All right. But stay put," he warned.
Dandy bowed his head, and took his place. Standing beneath the light, he imagined, would be perfect, the light itself so bright that he would be obscured in the darkness below it. He turned his attention to the pinheads, acting the fools with one another on stage.
A soft breeze rolled through the lot, and Adeline sighed, closing her eyes for just a moment, enjoying the sensation. She always preferred performing shows at night. The matinee had been an amended performance, an hour long as opposed to one and a half, and Adeline had made the decision to leave Max out of it, with Elsa's permission, due to the heat of the day and the subsequent risk for raising Max's temperature too high. He was due to perform for the Jupiter crowd for the first time that night, and instead of the apprehension and nerves she felt during her audition, she felt the familiar, excited charge that always precluded her stage performances. She brushed at few gnats near the bucket beside her feet, shooting them away from the contents. She should have brought the lid, but there wouldn't be long to wait now. She looked at her list again.
Dandy was watching with vindication as the crowd, which had thus far responded favorably to the other acts, seemed to turn on Elsa Mars, who, incomprehensively, was singing that same song he had heard when last he had visited the show with mother. Then, to his wicked satisfaction, the audience began to throw the contents of their varied paper refreshment bags at the stage. More and more attendees rose from their seats, cupping their hands around their mouths to shout criticisms, tossing handfuls of popcorn. While Dandy, naturally, did not approve of such boorish behavior, he was yet pleased with the fact that Elsa was being given treatment he felt she deserved.
"Shit!" Jimmy exclaimed, watching from the wings. He ran on stage to escort the shaken Elsa off.
Adeline was listening carefully, as she thought she could hear the sounds of an exceedingly disgruntled audience. Tremendously rare in her case, she could nevertheless gauge the tone of the atmosphere in a tent simply by listening outside the canvas. Sure enough, the clamor was rising in volume. Then suddenly, it stopped, and Jimmy's voice boomed over the microphone, something about someone who was going to be "right out." Then suddenly, he appeared in front of her, bursting through the back curtain.
"Go, go, you gotta hurry, they just booed Elsa off the stage, please!" he exclaimed.
Adeline furrowed her brow. "The pinheads come back on next!" Adeline said, lifting up the list. "They do their Punch and Judy and then-"
"No, we gotta get the crowd back. We need something big!" Jimmy pleaded.
Adeline nodded and hopped up, stepping over Max to retrieve his chain.
"Go, go," Jimmy said, "I'll get your bucket." He crinkled his nose a little bit, and resolved not to slosh it around, grabbing it by the fresh white towel hanging off the handle, keeping the cloth free from the contents within.
Adeline affixed Max to a rigging ring mounted to the floor, out of sight, discarding her robe and locating her hoop while the pinheads quickly cleared the debris off the stage. She crouched down beside him and ruffled his mane. "Be good," she said to the lion. "Be ready."
Jimmy, standing beside the curtain, peeked out at the audience and then looked to her. She nodded once to him and he ducked out through the curtain, stepping up to the microphone. She took a deep breath and stood center stage, patting the side of her head to be sure the giant, blood red dahlia she had pinned there was still in place. A little girl from town had given it to her that morning when the townspeople had come to thank Jimmy. Grasping her hoop, she held it out beside her, standing posed, performance-ready.
"Boy-oh-Boy, is our next act really somethin'!" Jimmy announced, grinning as he spoke into the microphone, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. The audience was on edge, he could tell.
Dandy's interest was peaked. Who else could Lobster Boy be speaking of but his Adeline?
"It is with great pride that we present to you a world class performer, and bona-fide third generation freak! Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome The Sen-sa-tional Swan Girl!"
Dandy drew in a tremulous breath, straightening his posture in order to prepare himself, his chest beset by a tingling that seemed then to roll throughout his entire body. He had never felt such anticipation, and he couldn't help but notice the twitching in the muscles of his legs, no matter how still he tried to keep his feet.
When the curtain opened, there stood Adeline, resplendent in a beaded costume of sequined white silk with capped sleeves of white feathers, hundreds of thin five inch beaded strands dripping off her hips, stark white skin, blood red nails, gleaming gold hoop.
Dandy's breathed a hopelessly sentimental sigh, his head tipping to the side as he admired her. He was completely besotted. She was entirely radiant.
The crowd had fallen silent. Her music began, and a small smile emerged on her lips. They would not dare to boo her. She would make certain of that. She tossed the hoop effortlessly over her head and caught it with her other hand, and her routine began.
Dandy was tickled to see that there was no evidence of the temptress who had entertained him in his playroom, that she had somehow relegated that portion of her persona to that private, intimate setting. Instead, her act now was fun, impressive, and exciting, but in such a way as to appeal to what he would consider the masses. What they had shared had truly been just for him, and he felt a tremendous sense of pride, both in himself and in her. Her costumes…he assumed they had been made for her. How else could they fit so perfectly? He watched the way she used the stage, her conceptualization of the space, and the expressions on her face. The feeling beneath the tent was nothing like the hostile sourness that had preceded her appearance before this audience. In its place were excitement and wonder. Dandy watched the movements of her body, how graceful and supple she seemed. The lighting, he felt, could have been much improved. The stark white spotlight was lovely on her skin, but had he the opportunity, he would add a tint of gold, to bathe her in richness and suggest the well-deserved opulence that suited a woman of her exceptional rarity. Oh, how he would spoil her! He smiled again, to himself, thinking on his plans.
Nearly as soon as her hoop act had begun, it was ended. Dandy recalled that his private performance had been quite extended, and that regretfully she was only one of many performers in this otherwise underwhelming troupe. When her music stopped, and the crowd began to whistle and cheer, his heart flopped in his chest as she placed one pointed toe out in front of her and raised her hands elegantly above her head, tipping her palms to face the top of the tent, the perfect finish to a triumphant performance. Her smile, he noted, was genuine. She was at ease here, on the stage. And she was happy. He thought then how beautiful he found her happiness, how pure. She bowed forward and swept her hands down and out beside her, flipping the backs of her hands upwards. She smiled once again at her audience and rose back to a standing position, waving here and there to the small children who had been waving at her. When the crowd quieted, Dandy watched her as she addressed them, her voice filling the entire tent, but intimate enough in tone to suggest she was talking to a small group of her friends. Talent, he thought. True talent.
"Ladies and Gen-tle-men! Boys and girls! Welcome, Welcome to Elsa Mars' Cabinet of Curiosities! We thank you, wholeheartedly, for joining us this evening!"
More cheers from the crowd. Adeline spied the little girl who had given her the dahlia and caught her eye, turning her head to the side so the child could see the flower mounted there above and behind her ear. The child beamed in recognition, and Adeline winked at her. She began to back up slowly.
"I am fortunate to be the newest member of this fine troupe, and it is now my pleasure to introduce you to someone very near and dear to my heart."
Adeline smiled at the crowd and then looked into the wings, offstage, down at the floor beside Jimmy and then back up to him. He pointed down at the bucket, and she nodded discreetly. He gestured towards the microphone, as though asking if she might want it, and she shook her head, again with discretion. Then she nodded to Eve, who had volunteered for the task, and she pulled the release on the rope tethering the leather loop on Max's chain. Adeline, standing center stage, gave Maximus the signal to come, and he barreled towards her. The crowd gasped and cried out with shock and awe as he appeared, and further so when he seemed not to slow before reaching her. In the last moment, Adeline braced herself, bending her knees as she reached her arms out to receive Max, who leapt up to hug her.
Dandy gasped laughed with delight as she stood firm and wrapped her arms around the enormous lion, and wondered if it were possible for Adeline to be more wonderful. She had the audience in the palm of her hand. Together, they would be unstoppable, he and his Sweet Adeline.
In full view of those in attendance, she placed a giant kiss on the lion's head, and a chorus of giggles, guffaws, and affectionate sounds from the audience accompanied them.
Dandy blinked repeatedly, pouting and murmuring a soft "Awwww," to himself. When Adeline stepped back and Max stepped down, she retrieved his chain, and the two walked side by side towards the front of the stage. Dandy watched the way she moved, impressed by the way she seemed to command the same amount of attention as her rather exotic companion. He was impressed by how healthy and robust the animal looked. Adeline nodded to Jimmy on their way down stage, and he brought the bucket out, leaving it off to the left, as Max stood to Adeline's right.
"Ladies and gentlemen may I present my best friend in all the world! Maximus!" She held out her arms to the side in presentation, and the crowd cheered.
With a simple command from Adeline, Max sat politely back on his haunches. She spoke slowly and carefully, with enthusiasm and animation. Dandy reveled in the sound of her lovely, clear voice, and the way it filled the entire tent.
"Maximus is an African Lion, but he was born right here in the United States! While often referred to as 'King of the Jungle,' lions in Africa tend to live on the plains or in slightly forested areas. Maximus weighs five hundred twenty pounds, but many other lions in captivity weigh considerably more. Lions living in the wild tend to weigh less."
As he always did, with a small, discreet command, Maximus lowered himself onto his belly and gave a tremendous yawn. Adeline tipped her head to the side and gave the audience a sheepish look.
"He's heard this speech before."
Genuine laughter from the crowd. Dandy smirked and huffed out a laugh. Clearly a planned joke, but what an excellent delivery, and what a charming pair they made!
"Lions live around twelve to fourteen years in the wild, but a lion in captivity can live twenty years or more! Max sleeps almost sixteen hours a day! He could sleep more, but we try to keep him awake in order to practice our act so that we can entertain our audience to the best of our ability! You'll notice that while Max does have a lead chain attached to his collar," Adeline raised her arm to show the audience what she meant, "for the most part, I will not have hold of it. He is very well mannered, and I trust him implicitly. You can expect, as members of the audience, to remain perfectly safe throughout the duration of our demonstration."
With that, Adeline gave Max a command, a short lift of her hand, and he rose to stand on all four feet. She gave him another command, a swift movement of her finger, and as she turned to her side, he turned in place to face her.
"Lions have an incredible set of teeth," Adeline said. She placed her hands together and then moved them apart, and Max opened his mouth, displaying his tremendous canines.
"I realize what I am about to do appears terribly unsafe, but remember, I raised Max from a cub, and my rapport with him allows us to interact in unique ways!"
Adeline reached forward and placed her hand into his mouth, the light directly on her webbing as she wiggled her fingers within the massive cavern. Dandy thrilled, watching her place herself in such peril. How fearless she was! Maximus held his mouth steadily open, and as the audience applauded for that display, Adeline removed her hand and leaned forward, sticking her head carefully in Maximus's mouth. Being that she was looking to the audience, she was able to smile brightly with her head still inside, so that the excited gasps quickly turned into sounds of awe and echoes of accompanying applause. Dandy gave a short laugh of disbelief, shaking his head. She removed her head and stepped back.
"Max may be rather large and intimidating, and it is true that lions are ferocious predators. They can run at speeds of up to thirty-five miles an hour if necessary." She gave the command by rolling her flattened palm, and Max dutifully rolled over onto his back, belly exposed, paws flapping upward. She came around to stand behind him, and knelt on the ground next to him.
"But despite their ferocity, and the fact that they are members of the cat family, properly domesticated lions, trained by experienced trainers, are truly quite a bit like big friendly dogs." Adeline reached forward and scratched Max's belly, and he grumbled delightedly. "Max absolutely loves a good belly rub," she said. The audience applauded. Dandy watched her, and thought how happy she looked, on that stage, where she belonged, with all in attendance admiring her.
Adeline stood and gave the rise command again, and Max leapt to his feet.
"Now," she began, "a lion's roar is one of its most distinctive features. A roar can be heard over five miles away, and Max's is quite impressive. I will warn the audience that this portion of our performance can be quite loud."
Adeline gave him the command once more and he turned himself to face the audience. Adeline gave another command, placing her hands together the way she had for the "open mouth" command, but at a different angle, curling her fingers this time, opening her hands again. Max's belly heaved in and out as he alternately drew in breath and blasted out with first one great, resounding roar, following with several others in its wake, in belch-like grumbles. He continued, offering several long, drawn out roars afterward. With one last growling, grumbling sound he concluded, and the audience erupted in applause.
Adeline stepped to the side, heading towards the bucket.
"Next," Adeline began, "I have some special treats that I'd like to offer Max for the following displays."
She crouched down and reached into the bucket, immersing her hand in the thick, syrupy blood, fishing around until she found one of the raw, cut up strips of meat stored within. Dandy strained to watch her, standing up on the balls of his feet and craning his neck to peer over the lip of the stage. He was aware of a large, shining tin bucket. But what might be inside? Then her hand emerged. He felt his breath grow ragged and labored, struggling to draw air into his lungs, as an intense warm, flooding sensation came over him and blood rushed to a specific organ below his belt. Blood. Her fingers, her hands….her glorious, deformed hands, covered in thick, red, blood. It shone on her skin under the lights of the stage, and he staggered back, knocking himself against the lighting tower. He had never felt such rapture. Adeline held the meat over the bucket, and there were some slight reactions of disgust as she allowed the blood to drip down in droplets, waiting for the excess to drain into the bucket before she traveled across the stage with it. Dandy thought how bright it looked against her soft, pale hands. He knew it must belong to some animal, but in his imagination, more real to him, often, than the rational world, it belonged to someone human.
Adeline approached Max, who was licking his lips, cupping her left hand under the right that held the meat aloft. Adeline lifted her hand above her head and gave a verbal command, and Max leapt up, taking the meat that Adeline dropped into his mouth. He landed gracefully on the stage. Dandy's mind was reeling. He would have liked to pay closer attention to the performance she and her fabulous lion were delivering, but he could not tear his eyes away from the sticky liquid rolling lazily down her fingers, her webbing, and her knuckles as she raised her hand. Adeline returned to the bucket to obtain another two pieces of meat, draining them much the same way she had the first. Dandy focused his vision the best he could, taking in the way the rivulets trailed down her webbing, migrating down into the dips of soft flesh between her fingers. He wanted, in that moment, to suck each of her fingers into his mouth, to run his tongue over the thin, elegant webbing. He licked his lips, and chewed at his tongue with his back teeth, steeling himself against the madness he felt coursing through him. What he would soon do with her!
She gave the command and Max backed up, going to face her. She tossed a piece carefully in his direction and he caught it, still standing on all four feet. Next, she tossed another, underhanded, up into the air above him, and he jumped up again as he had earlier, snatching it out of the air. Dandy, meanwhile, was distracted entirely by a now frequent occurrence, the sense of being accosted by alternating flashes of imagery, brief fragments of all the fantasies of he and Adeline that he had conjured in his mind, all the scenes flipping before him as though on stereoscope whose photos were switched with impossible rapidity. Her voice brought him back from his reverie.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, this next trick may not be for those of you who are squeamish, so if you have a distaste for the gruesome, you may want to close your eyes."
She was crouching once more on the floor beside the tin pail and his heart began to race. For a moment, Dandy was furious. How was it she had this power to affect him so? Adeline reached into the bucket again and selected another piece, allowing the blood to trickle down into the pail once more. She carried the strip in the palm of her hand and went back to stand in front of Max. Leaning far forward to avoid besmirching her costume, Adeline lifted the bloodied piece of raw meat and placed one end of the strip between her teeth.
"Adeline," Dandy whispered, softly, placing his hand over his chest. He was overcome. She gave the command and Max jumped up and snatched it directly out of her mouth. Fearless, he thought, again. Those in the crowd who had been watching cried out in shock and surprise, and applauded. When she rose up to stand once more, Dandy allowed a soft moan to escape his throat as she quickly and self consciously wiped at the faintest hint of blood between her lips.
"Now, for our final demonstration," Adeline hated that their act had to be so short, but it was a variety show, after all. "We shall show you all how impressive a lion's jump can be."
Dandy noticed the way she gave her right hand a distinct flick to remove the excess blood from where it had been trailing down her fingers, and it had not been lost on him that a few droplets of spatter landed on her lily white thighs, just above her knees. Adeline moved around and tucked Max's lead chain carefully into his collar so it would not impinge upon his movement and she picked up her hoop. She gave him the command, and he turned around and stood several yards from Adeline, on one end of the stage. With another single command, he charged forward and launched himself into the air, leaping four and a half feet, effortlessly sailing through the hoop and landing on the opposite side. The crowd erupted with applause and Adeline bowed once more. They rose to their feet and cheered, whistling and clapping, and she bowed again, placing a hand over her heart and mouthing "Thank You," to them all, waving with both hands open. They shouted accolades and raised their hands in the air.
They, like Dandy, were transfixed, but unlike the young man standing beneath the lighting tower, they were not obsessed the way he was, and he knew it. They could clap with utmost enthusiasm, and cheer until their throats ached, and leap to their feet for her to show their appreciation, but their affection was shallow. He knew then that no one could ever possibly love her as much as he. With a sigh, and a freshly renewed sense of purpose, felt a sudden burst of energy, and as his Adeline accepted her well-deserved praise, he began a jaunty stroll back to his Jaguar, with a brief nod at the muscled barker as he ducked out.