and Maska would never let themselves be captured by a mere queue
, thought Garland. Then she smiled. Even if they tried forcing their way to the front the officials, lined up by the main gates, all armed with their rods,would not let them through until they had all the proper documents, stamped and signed. Perhaps Ozul and Maska might be caged in after all. She could see the Aide, the senior Gramth official representing the Mayor, climbing up into the front of the van beside Yves and Maddie. The Mayor of Gramth, who was like a small-time king (though he was never called a king) lived in the centre of the city, and almost never came out of his office of brick and stone.
Of course
, thought Garland,
he might … he just might … come out for the Fantasia performance tonight for, though he was a strong and serious man, he loved clowns
. The last time they had been here he had actually laughed while they joked and tumbled.
The Fantasia swung on, following their band, not so much marching as dancing down the main street and making for the city centre. People clustered along the edge of the street and the Aide waved to the crowd as if he, not Yves, were the true ringmaster. However no one cheered him or waved back to him. But that was not the Fantasia’s business. They were on their way again, being themselves, half-performing already, band playing, acrobats cartwheeling, horses arching their necks as if they were proud to belong to the Fantasia.
Eden decided to join in like a true Fantasia man. He passed Jewel over to Timon, then clapped his hands. A bright ball suddenly appeared, sparkling and pulsating between his fingers. He bowed left and right then tossed the ball into the air. It burst into shooting stars of coloured light. People threw out their own arms, shouting with pleasure. Lilith shouted too, but for a different reason.
‘Shops!’ she cried in delight. ‘Real shops.’
Garland looked around her with unwilling wonder. Though she was older than Lilith, she couldn’t help being enchanted by those shining windows, glimpsed every now and then in between the heads of the jostling crowd. Once the whole worldhad been a little like this. Perhaps it had
all
been like this, panes of glass giving off a soft beckoning glitter. Once there had been town after town, tied like knots into the net of roads that had held the land captive, and every town had been filled with shops. But that was back then. This was now. They were the Fantasia, marching into Gramth. The reluctant crowd began cheering and waving, faces were suddenly smiling and Garland waved back, smiling too. Tane the clown put on his red nose, and somersaulted and cartwheeled, spinning in and out of the crowd. Shell even let his parrots fly free and they circled above him, then flew back to perch along his outstretched arms as if they were finding places in a friendly tree.
But up on the front of the first van Garland could see Maddie and Yves were looking suddenly dismayed, while the Aide, who was now sitting in Garland’s usual seat frowned and folded his lips in a determined way.
‘It’s wonderful!’ Eden was crying, enchanted. ‘Wonderful!’
‘Yes, but I think something’s wrong,’ Garland said, staring over at her van. The Aide was shrugging his shoulders.
They had reached main square. The Fantasia, which had marched as one unit, split and spread out into many. They rushed to unfold their canvas, drive in the pegs and raise the poles. The Aide was now watching with satisfaction, Garland thought, but Maddie was frowning as she climbed down from the van. As soon as she could Garland raced over to her mother’s side.
‘Mum!’ she cried. ‘Mum! What’s wrong?’
‘Gramth always feels funny,’ Maddie said, ‘but it feels really strange this time. It feels – well, it feels somehow stormy … dangerous even. But that’s not our business. The thing is they’re saying …’ Maddie stopped, looking curiously unsure of herself.
‘They’ve
, thought Garland. Then she smiled. Even if they tried forcing their way to the front the officials, lined up by the main gates, all armed with their rods,would not let them through until they had all the proper documents, stamped and signed. Perhaps Ozul and Maska might be caged in after all. She could see the Aide, the senior Gramth official representing the Mayor, climbing up into the front of the van beside Yves and Maddie. The Mayor of Gramth, who was like a small-time king (though he was never called a king) lived in the centre of the city, and almost never came out of his office of brick and stone.
Of course
, thought Garland,
he might … he just might … come out for the Fantasia performance tonight for, though he was a strong and serious man, he loved clowns
. The last time they had been here he had actually laughed while they joked and tumbled.
The Fantasia swung on, following their band, not so much marching as dancing down the main street and making for the city centre. People clustered along the edge of the street and the Aide waved to the crowd as if he, not Yves, were the true ringmaster. However no one cheered him or waved back to him. But that was not the Fantasia’s business. They were on their way again, being themselves, half-performing already, band playing, acrobats cartwheeling, horses arching their necks as if they were proud to belong to the Fantasia.
Eden decided to join in like a true Fantasia man. He passed Jewel over to Timon, then clapped his hands. A bright ball suddenly appeared, sparkling and pulsating between his fingers. He bowed left and right then tossed the ball into the air. It burst into shooting stars of coloured light. People threw out their own arms, shouting with pleasure. Lilith shouted too, but for a different reason.
‘Shops!’ she cried in delight. ‘Real shops.’
Garland looked around her with unwilling wonder. Though she was older than Lilith, she couldn’t help being enchanted by those shining windows, glimpsed every now and then in between the heads of the jostling crowd. Once the whole worldhad been a little like this. Perhaps it had
all
been like this, panes of glass giving off a soft beckoning glitter. Once there had been town after town, tied like knots into the net of roads that had held the land captive, and every town had been filled with shops. But that was back then. This was now. They were the Fantasia, marching into Gramth. The reluctant crowd began cheering and waving, faces were suddenly smiling and Garland waved back, smiling too. Tane the clown put on his red nose, and somersaulted and cartwheeled, spinning in and out of the crowd. Shell even let his parrots fly free and they circled above him, then flew back to perch along his outstretched arms as if they were finding places in a friendly tree.
But up on the front of the first van Garland could see Maddie and Yves were looking suddenly dismayed, while the Aide, who was now sitting in Garland’s usual seat frowned and folded his lips in a determined way.
‘It’s wonderful!’ Eden was crying, enchanted. ‘Wonderful!’
‘Yes, but I think something’s wrong,’ Garland said, staring over at her van. The Aide was shrugging his shoulders.
They had reached main square. The Fantasia, which had marched as one unit, split and spread out into many. They rushed to unfold their canvas, drive in the pegs and raise the poles. The Aide was now watching with satisfaction, Garland thought, but Maddie was frowning as she climbed down from the van. As soon as she could Garland raced over to her mother’s side.
‘Mum!’ she cried. ‘Mum! What’s wrong?’
‘Gramth always feels funny,’ Maddie said, ‘but it feels really strange this time. It feels – well, it feels somehow stormy … dangerous even. But that’s not our business. The thing is they’re saying …’ Maddie stopped, looking curiously unsure of herself.
‘They’ve
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