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45

The small parade moved, soundless, past the eternally revolving, ending-but-unending candy serpentine of Mr. Crosetti’s barber pole, past all the darkening or darkened shops, the emptying streets, for people were home now from the church suppers, or out at the carnival for the last side show or the last high-ladder diver floating like milkweed down the night.

Will’s feet, far away below, clubbed the sidewalk. One, two, he thought, someone tells me left, right. Dragonfly whispers: one-two.

Is Jim in the parade?! Will’s eyes flicked the briefest to one side. Yes! But who’s the other little one? The gone-mad, everything’s-interesting-so-touch-it, everything’s red-hot, pull-back, Dwarf! Plus the Skeleton. And then behind, who were all those hundreds, no, thousands of people marching along, breathing down his neck?

The Illustrated Man.

Will nodded and whined so high and silently that only dogs, dogs who were no help, dogs who could not speak, might hear.

And sure enough, looking obliquely over, he saw not one, not two, but three dogs who, smelling the occasion, their own parade, now ran ahead, now fell behind, their tails like guidons for the platoon.

Bark! thought Will, like in the movies! Bark, bring the police!

But the dogs just smiled and trotted.

Coincidence, please, thought Will. Just a small one!

Mr. Tetley! Yes! Will saw-but-did-not-see Mr. Tetley! Rolling the wooden Indian back into his shop, closing for the night!

‘Turn heads,’ murmured the Illustrated Man.

Jim turned his head. Will turned his head.

Mr. Tetley smiled.

‘Smile,’ murmured Mr. Dark.

The two boys smiled.

‘Hello!’ said Mr. Tetley.

‘Say hello,’ someone whispered.

‘Hello,’ said Jim.

‘Hello,’ said Will.

The dogs barked.

‘A free ride at the carnival,’ murmured Mr. Dark.

‘Free ride,’ said Will.

‘At the carnival!’ cracked Jim.

Then, like good machines, they shut up their smiles.

‘Have fun!’ called Mr. Tetley.

The dogs barked joy.

The parade marched on.

‘Fun,’ said Mr. Dark. ‘Free rides. When the crowds go home, half an hour from now. We’ll ride Jim round. You still want that, Jim?’

Hearing but not hearing, locked away in himself, Will thought, Jim, don’t listen!

Jim’s eyes slid: wet or oily, it was hard to tell.

‘You’ll travel with us, Jim, and if Mr. Cooger doesn’t survive (it’s a near thing for him, we haven’t saved him yet, we’ll try again now) but if he doesn’t make it, Jim, how would you like to be partners? I’ll grow you to a fine strong age, eh? Twenty-two? twenty-five?’. Dark and Nightshade, Nightshade and Dark, sweet lovely names for such as we with such as the side shows to run around the world! What say, Jim?’

Jim said nothing, sewn up in the Witch’s dream.

Don’t listen! wailed his best friend, who heard nothing but heard it all.

‘And Will?’ said Mr. Dark. ‘Let’s ride him back and back, eh? Make him a babe in arms, a babe for the Dwarf to carry like a clown-child, roundabout in parades, every day for the next fifty years, would you like that, Will? to be a babe forever? not able to talk and tell all the lovely things you know? Yes, I think that’s best for Will. A plaything, a little wet friend for the Dwarf!’

Will must have screamed.

But not out loud.

For only the dogs barked, in terror; yiping, off they ran, as if pelted with rocks.

A man came around the comer.

A policeman.

‘Who’s this?’ muttered Mr. Dark.

‘Mr. Kolb,’ said Jim.

‘Mr. Kolb!’ said Will.

‘Darning-needle,’ whispered Mr. Dark. ‘Dragonfly.’ Pain stabbed Will’s ears. Moss stuffed his eyes. Gum glued his teeth. He felt a multitudinous tapping, shuttling, weaving, about his face, all numb again.

‘Say hello to Mr. Kolb.’

‘Hello,’ said Jim.

‘. . . Kolb . . .’ said the dreaming Will.

‘Hello, boys. Gentlemen.’

‘Turn here,’ said Mr. Dark.

They turned.

Away toward meadow country, away from warm lights, good town, safe streets, the drumless march progressed.


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