Beautiful Freaks by Katie M John

hallway. The house had been deceptive. On the outside it had looked like any other wealthy residential house in the Haymarket , but on the inside it was as if Kaspian had entered a fairytale world of dreams.
    Like a somnambulist making his way through a rich fantasy, Kaspian found he couldn’t take all the exotic information in at once. A glass of champagne somehow found its way into his hand and his jacket had been removed so that he was stripped down to his white waistcoat.
    Chandeliers, hanging with hundreds of crystal droppers , spread small rainbows dancing over the reflective surfaces , and the heavy scent of rich roses filled his nose. Somewhere with in the shadows of the room, music played . When he finally located it s source, he couldn’t be sure that what he was seeing was real. Four beautiful young women dressed as angels played a collection of stringed instruments.
    “Am I dead?” Kaspian asked breathlessly.
    Hugh chuckled and responded, “No, dear boy, you’re just about to start living!” He led him over to a small table, set for supper. A bottle of Moet and Chandon was already on ice in a silver bucket. He invited Kaspian to sit and waved over to the waitress, who was also dressed in the diaphanous and slightly transparent dress of a heavenly host.
    “A dozen oysters if you please, Amelia.”
    She flashed him a smile that told Kaspian that Hugh knew Amelia well.
    “This isn’t quite what you’re thinking, Kaspian.” Hugh unfolded his napkin and spread it over his lap before downing his reception champagne and topping his glass up from the waiting bottle.
    “I’m not sure I know what I’m thinking,” Kaspian smiled.
    “I haven’t brought you to a whorehouse.”
    “No? ” Kaspian shook his head and grinned. “ It ’s how I imagine one might look like.”
    Hugh burst into a lively laughter even though Kaspian hadn’t intended to be witty. “I bet it is ! Isn’t it just paradise?” He topped up Kaspian’s glass. “No, here the girls are strictly off limits. The motto at Eve’s is very simple, ‘ You can look but you can’t touch .’ ”
    “I see.” Kaspian picked up his napkin and spread it over his lap before screwing his eyebrows together. “Actually, no I don’t see.”
    “Oh, but you will.”
    Within five very short minutes , one of the divine angels delivered a large platter of oysters to the table. The champagne was deliciously cold and this , combined with the sight of beauty all around him, made Kaspian felt as if he had slipped into another reality.
    “Eat up, the cabaret starts at midnight.”
    “Cabaret?”
    “Well sort of.” Hugh’s lips tw isted as if thinking. “It’s not quite like any cabaret act you’ve ever seen before .”
    “I haven’t … I mean, I haven’t been to any cabaret before.”
    “Oh, of course not.” Hugh suddenly looked serious. “Well, I might have just spoilt cabaret for the rest of your life, dear boy . Once you’ve visited The Palace of Beautiful Freaks, no other cabaret in the world is going to quite live up to it. ”
     
    *
    Although supper was a tempting affair, the combination of overindulgence earlier that evening, and excitement, meant that Kaspian barely picked at the platters in front of him. It seemed that Hugh had little appetite for food either, and so platters came and went untouched as if supper were merely part of the ritual.
    As the last platter was removed, the heavy chime of a grandfather clock spread through the room, starting a small flutter of movement as men headed towards the far end of the room. Hugh stood to join them and Kaspian followed, walking towards an entrance that he had not previously noticed. It had been concealed with heavy-black velvet curtains. Two women dressed in Greek style robes, held them back on either side. The fabric of their dresses was so light that it left little to the imagination. Their faces, however, were kept a complete mystery as one wore the tragic mask of Melpomene and