his trailer all afternoon.
That afternoon wore on interminably. But as the temperature climbed, we all began looking hopefully toward the west, where huge banks of thunderclouds were forming.
"Rain, maybe," I told Chips, stopping by his barking platform in front of the sideshow.
But he didn't respond to my hopeful grin. "Don't like it," he said. "No wind. Too hot. Hail or tornadoes." His face grew grim. "It ain't no picnic, ridin' out a tornado with a pack of crazy-wild animals all over the place, Eddie. I've thanked God mor'n once when we've gone through the tornado belt that we don't have no elephants.
"Yeah," he added gloomily, "you better hope them clouds stay right on the horizon."
But they didn't. They moved slowly toward us, cyclopean pillars in the sky, purple at the bases and awesome blue-black through the cumulonimbus. All air movement ceased, and the heat lay on us like a woolen winding-shroud. Every now and again, thunder would clear its throat further west.
About four, Mr. Farnum himself, ringmaster and half-owner of the circus, appeared and told us there would be no evening performance; just batten down and find a convenient hole to crawl into in case of trouble. There had been corkscrew funnels spotted in several places between Wildwood and Oklahoma City, some within forty miles of us.
There was only a small crowd when the announcement came, apathetically wandering through the sideshow exhibits or ogling the animals. But Mr. Legere had not been present all day; the only person at Green Terror's cage was a sweaty high-school boy with clutch of books. When Mr. Farnum announced the U.S. Weather Bureau tornado warning that had been issued, he hurried quickly away.
I and the other two roustabouts spent the rest of the afternoon working our tails off, securing tents, loading animals back into their wagons, and making generally sure that everything was nailed down.
Finally only the cat cages were left, and there was a special arrangement for those. Each cage had a special mesh "breezeway" accordioned up against it, which, when extended completely, connected with the Demon Cat Cage. When the smaller cages had to be moved, the felines could be herded into the big cage while they were loaded up. The big cage itself rolled on gigantic casters and could be muscled around to a position where each cat could be let back into its original cage. It sounds complicated, and it was, but it was just the only way.
We did the lions first, then Ebony Velvet, the docile black panther that had set the circus back almost one season's receipts. It was a tricky business coaxing them up and then back through the breezeways, but all of us preferred it to calling Mr. Indrasil to help.
By the time we were ready for Green Terror, twilight had come—a queer, yellow twilight that hung humidly around us. The sky above had taken on a flat, shiny aspect that I had never seen and which I didn't like in the least.
"Better hurry," Mr. Farnum said, as we laboriously trundled the Demon Cat Cage back to where we could hook it to the back of Green Terror's show cage. "Barometer's falling off fast." He shook his head worriedly. "Looks bad, boys. Bad." He hurried on, still shaking his head.
We got Green Terror's breezeway hooked up and opened the back of his cage. "In you go," I said encouragingly.
Green Terror looked at me menacingly and didn't move.
Thunder rumbled again, louder, closer, sharper. The sky had gone jaundice, the ugliest color I have ever seen. Wind-devils began to pick jerkily at our clothes and whirl away the flattened candy wrappers and cotton-candy cones that littered the area.
"Come on, come on," I urged and poked him easily with the blunt-tipped rods we were given to herd them with.
Green Terror roared ear-splittingly, and one paw lashed out with blinding speed. The hardwood pole was jerked from my hands and splintered as if it had been a greenwood twig. The tiger was on his feet now, and there was murder in his eyes.
"Look," I said shakily. "One of you will have to go get Mr. Indrasil, that's all. We can't wait around."
As if to punctuate my words, thunder cracked louder, the clapping of mammoth hands.
Kelly Nixon and Mike McGregor flipped for it; I was excluded because of my previous run-in with Mr. Indrasil. Kelly drew the task, threw us a wordless glance that said he would prefer facing the storm and then started off.
He was gone almost ten minutes. The
Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 1 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 2 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 3 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 4 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 5 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 6 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 7 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 8 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 9 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 10 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 11 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 12 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 13 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 14 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 15 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 16 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 17 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 18 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 19 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 20 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 21 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 22 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 23 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 24 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 25 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 26 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 27 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 28 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 29 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 30 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 31 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 32 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 33 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 34 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 35 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 36 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 37 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 38 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 39 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 40 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 41 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 42 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 43 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 44 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 45 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 46 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 47 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 48 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 49 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 50 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 51 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 52 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 53 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 54 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 55 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 56 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 57 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 58 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 59 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 60 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 61 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 62 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 63 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 64 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 65 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 66 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 67 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 68 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 69 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 70 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 71 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 72 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 73 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 74 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 75 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 76 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 77 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 78 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 79 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 80 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 81 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 82 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 83 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 84 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 85 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 86 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 87 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 88 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 89 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 90 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 91 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 92 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 93 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 94 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 95 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 96 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 97 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 98 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 99 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 100 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 101 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 102 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 103 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 104 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 105 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 106 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 107 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 108 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 109 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 110 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 111 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 112 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 113 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 114 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 115 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 116 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 117 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 118 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 119 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 120 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 121 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 122 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 123 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 124 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 125 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 126 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 127 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 128 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 129 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 130 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 131 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 132 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 133 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 134 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 135 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 136 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 137 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 138 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 139 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 140 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 141 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 142 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 143 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 144 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 145 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 146 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 147 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 148 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 149 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 150 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 151 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 152 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 153 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 154 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 155 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 156 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 157 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 158 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 159 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 160 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 161 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 162 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 163 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 164 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 165 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 166 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 167 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 168 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 169 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 170 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 171 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 172 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 173 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 174 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 175 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 176 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 177 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 178 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 179 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 180 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 181 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 182 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 183 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 184 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 185 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 186 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 187 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 188 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 189 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 190 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 191 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 192 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 193 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 194 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 195 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 196 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 197 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 198 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 199 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 200 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 201 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 202 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 203 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 204 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 205 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 206 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 207 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 208 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 209 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 210 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 211 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 212 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 213 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 214 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 215 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 216 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 217 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 218 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 219 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 220 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 221 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 222 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 223 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 224 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 225 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 226 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 227 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 228 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 229 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 230 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 231 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 232 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 233 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 234 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 235 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 236 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 237 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 238 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 239 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 240 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 241 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 242 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 243 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 244 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 245 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 246 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 247 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 248 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 249 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 250 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 251 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 252 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 253 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 254 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 255 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 256 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 257 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 258 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 259 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 260 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 261 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 262 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 263 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 264 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 265 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 266 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 267 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 268 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 269 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 270 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 271 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 272 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 273 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 274 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 275 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 276 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 277 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 278 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 279 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 280 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 281 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 282 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 283 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 284 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 285 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 286 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 287 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 288 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 289 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 290 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 291 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 292 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 293 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 294 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 295 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 296 Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow - Page 297