Chapter 3: The Incredible Nightcrawler

"I want to do it again. I want to do it every night."

It was a tight squeeze. The paper mache cauldron was small to begin with, but he had to be packed in there with a spot light that was to shine upward after it was rolled out. Kurt was glad he wasn't claustrophobic. He thought that starting the act by hiding in the cauldron was a good idea at first. He was nervous enough without having to look at a tent full of people. But he could still hear them and that was almost worse.

He lay curled around the light listening to the amplified voices of Sven and Papa telling a story about three witches who wanted to make a child. It was almost time. There was rustling around him and he knew it was Annika and her sisters, their costumes hidden under long witches robes, surrounding the cauldron. In a moment they would raise their arms, the light would come on, and he would have jump out before it got too hot. He could hear the music getting louder. It was very close now. He'd rehearsed this so many times, but now it was different. People were watching. He was supposed to entertain them.

Suddenly the light came to life. Kurt jumped up onto the wooden edges of the cauldron, staying as low as possible so he wouldn't be seen and at the same time keeping his tail away from the hot light below him. He knew that the light was casting his shadow up on the canvas ceiling of the tent. Margali had said she thought that they were asking too much of him. That the act was too complicated for a first performance, but Kurt had insisted he could do it. He stole a quick glance up to the trapeze rig. It was so high up, was he really going to be able to jump up there? You've done it before, he reminded himself, and you don't have to go all the way up, Sven will catch you.

Annika smiled. "Ready." She whispered.

Kurt nodded. His throat was too dry to speak. He climbed off the cauldron onto the platform the three women made with their hands, preparing to jump. Annika counted to three and Kurt launched himself into the air, boosted by the three women. He looked up to the point where Sven was going to be and felt Sven's hands close on his wrists when he got there. It was happening. His first performance, the moment he had been both anticipating and dreading for the last month was happening now. Kurt didn't have time to think about it. He closed his hands about Sven's wrists as they swung forward.

At the top of the arc, they let go. Kurt used his forward momentum to turn a somersault before the next catch. He spotted his landing, reaching out, knowing that Papa's hands would be there to catch him. He felt the catch and locked his hands around Papa's thick wrists, feeling Papa's lock around his own. As Papa swung forward he flipped Kurt up onto the trapeze. Kurt landed lightly, his knees bent, his toes gripping the bar. He stayed on the bar while it swung to the platform and Papa swung himself up and hopped off. Kurt's trapeze was on its way back to the center. He gripped the bar with his hands and let go with his feet so his body swung around with the momentum of his arc. This is the hardest trick, he thought, and then it will be over. Having finished his forward flip around the bar, Kurt let go with his hands so he was flung feet first towards where Sven was supposed to catch his ankles.

It was the hardest one because he couldn't see if Sven had actually swung out to catch him. They had missed more than once in practice and each time he'd hung in midair for a moment before falling into the net. Kurt felt Sven's hands around his ankles and he used the momentum to pop himself up onto the bar so that he was standing on it. Sven switched positions and pumped his legs to swing the trapeze back to the platform. Once he was there Kurt did a backflip off the bar and landed lightly on the platform. Annika's sister Freya, now out of her witch costume held out a hand to steady him so he didn't fall off, but Kurt didn't need it, his landing was solid.

He stood, catching his breath and realizing that his part in the show was over. For the first time he looked around and saw that people were cheering. Had they been cheering for him? He had hardly noticed. For the last few minutes the entire world had been erased except for Papa, Sven, and himself.

"Good job" Freya whispered in his ear. Then she caught a trapeze that was thrown to her and was gone.

Kurt watched the show from the platform for a few moments and then climbed down the ladder. His usual way of getting down during practices was to jump off the platform into the net, but Papa had forbidden him from doing it during the show. Too distracting, he had said. Once on the ground Kurt ran around the side of the net to the outside of the tent where Margali was waiting.

"Did you see me?" He asked the moment she came into view.

"Of course. You were wonderful." She knelt down and gathered him into her arms.

"I want to do it again." Kurt said. "I want to do it every night."

"And you will." Margali said. "As long as you want to. Oops. Let's get out of the way." She stood up and ushered Kurt to the side so two of the roustabouts could push several colorful wooden stands on a cart past them.

Annika was the first of the Olsson's to arrive in the area outside the tent that served as their backstage. She grabbed Kurt in a big hug, lifting him off the ground. "You did so well." She said, mussing up his hair. The rest of the Olsson's began to filter through the tent flaps, each one congratulating Kurt on a fine first performance. Margali stood slightly away from the group. Kurt looked so happy. Annika had been right, the best place for her son to hide was in front of an audience. I took her a moment to realize she that the more than happiness, she felt relief. There would be no angry mobs for Kurt, but applause instead.

"We want to introduce you when we go out and bow at the end." Papa said. "What should we call you?"

Kurt looked at Margali for assistance. "I don't know." He said, "Kurt?"

Papa waved his hand and shook his head. "No, no, no. You need a stage name. Something that fits the way you look."

"The 'Blue Demon'?" Lars' eldest sister asked. Kurt cocked his head in confusion and Margali glared daggers at her.

They threw names back and forth, very careful not to tread in demon or devil territory. They all sounded ridiculous to Margali. She wished she had thought of this before, but she wasn't even sure Kurt would like performing. And she had harbored a secret fear that perhaps the crowd would see through his 'disguise'. How silly it all seemed now. She smiled to herself, thinking about the night she'd watched Kurt climb out of his crib so he could crawl around the room. He was practically born for this. Then it hit her.

"The Mysterious Nightcrawler." Margali shouted and everybody stopped talking. Kurt blushed a deep shade of purple.

"Mom. No. That's embarrassing." Kurt stamped his foot at her and glared. Margali stuck out her tongue.

Papa scratched his head. "I like it." He said.

"You do?" Kurt asked.

"But not 'mysterious', Kurt doesn't seem that mysterious to me." Sven pitched in.

Various adjectives were suggested until they settled on "incredible". Papa peeked around the side of the curtain and motioned Kurt to his side.

"When we go out to bow, stay back by that pillar there." He said. Kurt saw the pillar he was pointing to. "Remember that double forward salto you were doing the other day, from a run?" Kurt nodded. He had only just started learning their floor routines, but when they saw how high he could jump, Sven had started teaching him how to do simple aerial maneuvers. It was fun and when Kurt had seen the amazing flips and twists Sven could do, he was eager to learn them.

"When they introduce you, do your aerial towards me and I'll catch you." Papa said. Kurt knitted his brow and then smiled when he understood. He agreed and after a few more hugs and congratulations from the Olssons, was left alone with Lars. They stood, peeking around the open tent flap so they could watch the show.

"I wish I had gotten to perform." Lars said.

"I do too." Said Kurt. "It was kind of scary all alone. When your dad says you're ready, we should do something together."

Lars grinned.

"But make up a stage name first." Kurt advised. "Otherwise you'll end up with your nickname."