WonderLand

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Awesome Banner #2 by Billy Da Hamster

I was bombarded from all sides with bright, flashing lights of all colors- red, yellow, green, blue.
Offensively colored cloth also waved disconcertingly in my face as flags flew high and fluttered in the breeze, and the garishly costumed clowns danced past in whirlwinds of color.
The hot summer air was stagnant with the overpowering stench of too many people and too much cotton candy and funnel cakes and stale popcorn and butter and grease.
All around I heard the sounds of laughter and shouts, whoops and cries both angry and happy and sad.
I danced under waving arms, and lightly tripped over the heads of small children running through the dense crowd.

Like everyone else here, I was buzzing with energy- the setting, the hype, the pre-show excitement had everyone itching to go, and some of the energy was rubbed off on me, even though to me this was all common place, routine done a thousand times. These people's weekend or holiday break or vacation was my everyday life.

My name is Alex Riverman- my legal name, anyways. If anyone asks, I'm Alexandria Fabela, the heir to the Fabela Family Circus. Fabela is my Italian mother's maiden name, and the circus is technically hers. But she just like the pomp, the mystery, the sense of wonder and the work. My dad- the Riverman side of the family- takes care of all the legal stuff- fees, taxes, permits, that sort of thing, and stays mostly behind the scenes. But together, with my mom's natural ability to pander to the crowd and my dad's money smarts, they manage to keep our little home grown circus afloat.
This is the world I was born into, one of stale popcorn and shoddy costumes, cheap, gaudy make-up, middle aged men in clown costumes, and an over developed sense of importance and grandeur. And I loved every moment of it.

As I shoved my way through the jostling crowd towards the bright red and yellow tent, I shot quick, wide smiles at patron and fellow worker alike. Everyone was out, getting ready. My Dad would be in the ticket booth, racking up last minutes tickets. Mom would be in the back of the tent, making sure everything thing was in place, so the show would run smoothly. All the side acts would already be in place and running- The puppeteer, Amando, would be entertaining gaggles of doe eyed children; the fortune teller Jasmine would already be shuffling her deck of eerily accurate cards; the one-man-orchestra Felix and his juggling master brother, Jinx, would be doing their best to keep the antsy crowd happy until the show began. I, meanwhile, had to hurry backstage, where I was already late, supposed to be getting ready for my own act.

I picked up my pace, trying to avoid crashing into anyone, but already hearing my mother's nagging voice in my ear urging me to hurry up. Fate however seemed to have other plans for me, however, because suddenly I crashed right into someone moving in the opposite direction, almost as fast as me, sending me tumbling into the dirt. I blinked in surprise a few times- the man had come completely out of nowhere, I'd never had a chance. But then I was scrambling back up to my feet, ready to apologize, lest we loose a customer because I wasn't polite enough. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that had happened.

"Oh my god, sir, I'm so sorry!" I said hastily, turning imploringly to look up at the man, and then stopped, mid sentence.
He didn't look particularly fussed that a sixteen year old girl wrapped in a sequined leotard had just plowed into him. He didn't seem winded, off balance, or even surprised. He just looked down at me, with a funny little smile playing on his mouth.

He was of indeterminable age, but seemed youngish enough. Curiously, he was dressed completely in white, from head to foot. He had on a fine three piece suit, complete with a top hat and cane, and every inch of cloth, down to his leather shoes and wooden walking stick, were a bright, unsoiled white. He almost seemed to glow, surrounded as he was by the flashing miasma of colors painting a curious, dancing background behind him. The only color on his person at all were his bright green eyes, set slightly slanted in a tanned face, and a glint of gold in his breast pocket, the chain of a watch, maybe.

My apology spluttered to a halt as I was briefly taken aback by his unconventional appearance. A dirty, gritty two bit circus wasn't exactly the sort of pace you put on your Sunday best for, to say the least.

"No harm done, my dear child." He said, and though his mouth was smiling, his voice was so cold and sharp, I could only blink dumbly in reply. "Although I fear you have made me late, for a very important date," He added, reaching up and pulling out his gold pocket watch with a white gloved hand. He flipped it open and glanced at it, his brow furrowing into a frown.

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered, trying to find my voice again. "It was an accident, but if you want I could get you a free-"

"No no, I don't want any charity." He interrupted me, his glassy eyes flashing. "It's best not to find yourself owing a person like me any favours. A pretty little thing like you wouldn't want to find yourself falling down that particular rabbit hole, eh? It's awful deep." He winked at me, and a shiver ran down my spine. He snapped his watch shut sharply, and I jumped despite myself. He slipped it back in his pocket, then lifted his hat a fraction at me.

"No time to say goodbye, I'm afraid, I'm awfully late as it is." Before I could get another word in edgewise, he spun on his heel and started away from me at a brisk pace. But before he made it three paces, he stopped suddenly and turn back to face me, a curious look on his face.

"But one more thing, before I go," He called back, his glass green eyes searching mine. "If you should happen to see a white rabbit, tell him I'm looking for him, would you?"

I stood there, gaping like a fish for a moment, but gathered myself enough to find my tongue.
"Uh... who should I say is asking?" I tried to play along. The man flashed me a grin I knew I didn't like at all.

"You needn't say. He'll know."

And then he was gone, disappearing into the crowd like a wisp of smoke, as if he hadn't even been there at all.

I remained where I was for a moment, confused, and more than a little creeped out. The white rabbit? Who, or what, was the white rabbit? But then I shook my head, grimacing to myself. It didn't matter. It probably didn't mean anything. A lot of weirdos showed up at circuses- they were drawn to the places, like moths to a flame. The guy was probably just some nut, or pervert or whatever. But he seemed to be gone now, and I had a show to do. So I cast any thoughts of the man or rabbits or watches out of my head, and jogged back up to the flamboyant tent, a lighthouse beacon above the bobbing heads of the assembled crowd.