The Strange and Insane

I will never forget the moment I set eyes on Mr Marcus J. Brown's Circus of the strange and insane. It was a sorry excuse of a place, over run by dust and weeds. The entry way was pratically crumbling down over head and the tents were sun-faded, ripped, and worn. But, like most good circus', it wasn't the outside that drew me in; It was the dazzling unknown that lay waiting ahead, and what I found there was so much more than I could have ever dreamed possible
-Eli Thomas
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Clara Elizabeth, or Clarie as she was called now, looked out at the expansive field that spread out around her. Several worn and faded tents speckled the dry ground, casting shadows in the sunlight. The air was turning warm again and soon the circus would be opening for the season. She would never forget the day she met Mr. Marcus J. Brown and how she came to live with him in his circus for the strange and insane.
Clarie was different. Strange, as Brown explained. A cripple left to burden the world. Clarie never knew her real parents. She was left at a church as an infant, and eventually taken to the City of Misfits where Brown later found her, cowering in a cage.
He was a fat, round, looking man with shiny cheeks and a long pointed nose that did not fit his face. He was dressed in a green pin-stripped shirt and black dress jacket with a small brown monkey perched around his shoulder. She watched him through the bars of her prison as he approached her. His ugly amber eyes raked over her, assessing her. She hated those eyes from the minute she saw them. There was evil and darkness in those eyes. She shrank back against the metal, hiding her face.

"You girl," he shouted at her as he produced a walking stick from under his jacket, using it to bang on her cage. Clarie's hands shot up to cover her ears, "do you speak?"
When she did not answer he let out an exasperated "humph" before turning to one of the elders in charge. "You there," he pointed towards the man observing, "this one, does she speak?" The man chuckled as he approached.

"Oh yes, sir, she speaks. In fact, Clara's chattering mouth is what keeps her locked up," he glared at her before turning back to Brown, "she is a wild one."

"Marvelous!" Brown's pig face lit up in delight. "Unlock her cage so that I can get closer look, please, sir." The elder nodded, producing a ring of keys from under his belt. Clarie did not move even after the cage had been opened.

"Out you wicked thing!" The elder commanded. But still, Clarie did not move. Brown placed a confident hand on the man's shoulder, silencing him.

"Come now, pet, I won't bite." Brown reassured her, but his words did little to comfort her.

The monkey, who had been sitting quietly on his shoulder, watching Clarie, reached into Brown's pocket for a treat. He scurried down over Brown's shoulder towards Clarie before he could be stopped. Clarie's head lifted as she watched the creature with curiosity for a minute. He chattered something at her and she clicked her tongue back in response. He responded, stretching out his arm and offering her the peppermint he had stolen from Brown's shirt pocket. She stirred, moving onto all fours as she crawled forward to meet the animal.

"Would you look at that," Brown exclaimed when Claire accepted the treat from the monkey. She smiled and he scampered up onto her shoulder. "I knew you were something special!" Brown reached out to smooth her dark, dirty, hair in approval. "You're a little animal tamer!" He couldn't hide his excitement. He looked down, noticing her twisted leg and the way she curled her arm into her side like a wing, and frowned. "What is her history?" Brown asked, reaching out to grab her arm. She shrank back as he poked and prodded, trying to straighten it.

"She was brought to us at a young age by the church. She was abandoned there," the elder explained while Brown continued his examination of her leg as well. "Disfigured at birth, as you can see."

"Age?"

"Just about 14."

"Does she walk?"

"I am afraid not, sir. She is chair bound."

"Pity, but we can work around that." He offered her a smile before continuing his interview.

"Mental status?"

"As well as can be expected for her kind."

"Is she dangerous at all?"

"Not dangerous," the elder shook his head, "just young and defiant." Brown took her face between his hands, locking her head into place. He stared into her cool grey eyes that were now wide with fear. His thumb brushed against her lip and she trembled.

"Not to worry, pet, that can be changed." He sighed, "such a shame. Such a wasted little beauty. You would have been something marvelous had you only been born normal, but perhaps I can find a place for you yet. Would you like that?" He released her face, but she did not reply. She just looked down and stroked the little animal that had crawled into her lap to sleep. "Can we have a moment, please?" Mr. Brown asked the elder, who nodded his head as he retreated to his corner.
"You like that little beast, don't you?" Clarie nodded, then paused, biting at her lip as if conflicted.

"What..." She began slowly, causing Brown to tilt his head. "What...is his name?"

"Ah..my dear," his eyes sparkled in amusement. "I suppose he doesn't have a name. I've always just called him beast, or pet." Clarie finally lifted her head to look into Brown's eyes. She scowled at him.

"That is a terrible name!" Brown roared with laughter, making his enormous belly shake so much she thought he would burst the buttons on his shirt.

"What would you called him than?"

"Chip," She said. "Because when he speaks he sounds like he's chirping." Brown smiled down at the unfortunate girl.

"Suppose you came with me and I let you keep him. He'd be your pet and you could call him what you like."

"Keep him?"

"If you come with me," he repeated. She looked at him once more, perplexed and frightened. "I have a circus, far away from here. If you come with me, you could live there. You would work there, with me, surrounded by a family of your own kind. You wouldn't have to live in a cage. You would be worth something. You'd have a home, family, food."

"You want me...as your circus freak?"

"Not a circus freak, my dear... A harlequin!"

"A clown," she stated and Brown let out another one of his exasperated "humphs."

"Your mind really is intact, isn't it?" He was almost amused. "Have it your way, you can either come live with me, where you will have a purpose, or you can stay here where you will live in a cage your whole life and most likely starve. It is your choice."

This man, Mr. Brown, frightened her, but living in a circus, even as a freak, would be better than living here where she was nothing, and she would have something of her own. She looked down at the monkey.

"And I can keep him?" she motioned to Chip, holding him close. Brown smiled wide, knowing he had just won.

"If you come with me."

"Then I will come with you."

"Marvelous!" Brown shouted, causing her to jump. "Sir," he motioned the same elder back over. "I would like to take this young lady off of your hands! Please fetch her things and I will happily pay you for your kindness." The elder nodded, returning moments later with a rickety wooden chair. Brown was giddy with joy as he scooped Clarie up and placed her in the chair. He turned to the elder as he pulled a small bundle of coins from his coat pocket and dropped it into his greedy hand. "Thank you sir," they shook hands. "It was a pleasure doing business with you!" He turned back to Clarie then. "Alright, pet, off we go! Show me what you can do!" He watched as Clarie slowly uncurled her wing of an arm, gripping one wheel, then the other. Then she was off, navigating her chair as Brown led the way with Chip perched happily on her shoulder.