Zombie Mage (17 page)

Glad he remained unseen, Olligh crept near some bushes
and scanned the area.  Around the big tent a few smaller tents were scattered. 
Further afield he could see a busy road lit up with many tall lights.  This was
another land different to his own yet he felt only pity for the lost Walker who
roamed it.  There was something unwelcoming and sinister about this place. 
Even the roaring laughter from within the circus tent sounded stilted, as
though the audience were being forced to laugh or face a pack of hungry lions. 
Nevertheless, he had a job to do and someone to find. He waited patiently until
the crowd of people had all entered the tent before clambering over the
fence.  

He felt compelled to investigate the smaller tents
first, determining it unlikely that any walking dead would be entertaining the
audience within the circus tent.  Keeping to the shadows he crept close to the
first one, straining over the sound of music to hear if anyone was inside. 
Reaching the entrance, he poked his head inside and glanced around.  This tent
contained a maze of tall, fun-house mirrors.  Straight ahead, he spotted a tall
mirror with a grinning clown's head carved into the wood on its side.  Underneath
the clown's face, the words 'Accursed Mirrors of Death' were painted in red. 
Olligh gazed at his immensely stretched reflection and sighed.  It didn't do
much for his appearance now that he looked taller and boasted an excessively
large hunchback.  Walking around the maze, he was astonished at how grotesque
his image was distorted by the various mirrors.  He reached the conclusion that
whether squat, fat, small or huge, he still resembled a hideous creature
without even trying.

"Wonderful," he muttered, staring at a
five-eyed Olligh in another mirror. "Perhaps I should apply for a job
here.  I wonder if it'd be a satisfying vocation?"

There was no reply from his reflection so he continued
walking until he reached the exit and wandered outside amongst the wet grass. 
In the distance he noticed more people approaching the circus so he quickened
his pace until he reached the safety of the next tent.  Although smaller than
the others, this tent was dressed to resemble a room in a haunted mansion.  It
even had a lit lantern bolted to the ceiling. The backdrop was hand-drawn and resembled
wooden panelling.  Olligh thought it looked quite realistic.  Its many shelves
were stacked with books and the odd portrait of manic looking individuals,
their faces twisted with perverse pleasure.  A red carpet was stretched out
over the tent floor and the only physical objects inside were a sinister
looking coffin to Olligh's left and a tall cage standing to his right.  Inside
the cage, secured to one of the upper bars with string, a skull was dangling
adding that extra bit of ambience to the room.  More interesting to Olligh
though, was the coffin.  He decided that it would be a fine place for someone
dead to hide.  Walking over to it, he lifted the lid hoping to find who he was
looking for stretched out inside.   Unfortunately, it was empty.

"Drat," Olligh said, shaking his head.  “So
close.”

He couldn't believe it was empty, even if it was a
blatantly obvious place to hide.  He wondered where else a walking corpse could
possibly hide in a circus?  As he pondered over it a bit longer, a curious
thought struck him.  Perhaps the corpse wasn't hiding after all.  Perhaps the
circus employed walking dead as novelty tight-rope walkers or scary clowns. 
Anything was possible in these strange new worlds and Olligh decided that it
would be more worthwhile to investigate the main circus tent and concentrate on
the performers instead.  Just as he was about to leave, a man's voice spoke.

"Well, are you not going to say hello?"

Olligh quickly turned but the tent was still empty.

"Don't you go all beady eyed on me," the
voice continued. "You're dead like me, aren't you?"

Olligh frowned. "Where are you?"

"Over here, dim wit."

Following the direction of the voice, Olligh realised
it was the skull speaking. He edged closer, his curiosity getting the better of
him.

"Oh, my! What's happened to you?"

"Happened to me?" replied the skull.

"How'd you end up in there?"

"Now, that's a good question.  Normally people
tend to say hello, or at least provide a few pleasantries before delving into
specifics, but at least your manner is refreshing."

Olligh blinked. "And how can you see me... or
talk and hear me for that matter?"

"Oh, you're a babbler aren't you?  Now, I'd be
happy to tell you everything but I reckon you're probably a fainter."

"A fainter?  Don't be ridiculous - I've witnessed
far more horrifying entities than a talking skull in my lifetime. I'm merely
curious as to how you can see with only a hollow head for company."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you. Are you
ready to hear the terrible truth?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Right. Well, if you look up you’ll see one of my eyes
is hanging up there from the lantern.”

Olligh peered up at the ceiling and, sure enough, he
noticed an eyeball hanging with string from the side of the lantern.  It winked
at him.

“I’m not sure what they've done with the other one,”
continued the skull. “It’s probably been eaten or something.  I can’t see out
of it, either."

"That's most interesting..."

"Interesting? It's perverse!  Do you know how
dizzy I get looking down from up here?"

"I didn't mean to offend.  I was merely trying to
fathom how body detachment could still provide functional capability."

The skull's jaw hung open and, for a moment, the room
remained quiet. 

"Oh, you're a bright spark, aren't you?"

 Olligh shook his head.  "No, not at all.  I
prefer to think of myself as perceptive."

"Perceptive, eh?  Then you'll probably also be
wondering where my brain is?"

"Ah, yes.  That was going to be my next
question."

"Well, before you ask, they've pickled it and
stuffed it inside a jar in this cage."

"Pickled it?"

"Well, I watched them pour something over it.  I
presume its pickle.  It stinks like pickle and it’s lumpy like pickle.  I
wouldn't recommend it in a sandwich though."

"You poor fellow. Who are these people that have
done this to you?"

"Well, they've got this old hag in the circus who
talks to the dead.  She's supposed to entertain the audience but, if you ask
me, it's all mumbo jumbo.  I reckon she just got lucky with her knife when she
sliced me open.  She even ripped my tongue and ears off.  I reckon she ate
them."

Olligh peered at the dangling eye again before
returning his gaze to the skull.

"So, why'd they keep you here?"

"I'm the hag's side kick.  She brings people here
and I'm supposed to tell them their fortune.  Basically, that means me telling
them what they want to hear.  It works every time."

Olligh pondered his words.  "Well, you’ll be
relieved to know that I'm here to take you back home.  No more fortune telling
for you."

"What? Back home?"

"Yes, you can't stay here.  The Dark Cloaks at
Ekelton cemetery require your swift return.  Once there you can die properly
and with dignity rather than continuing to experience this endless torment and
suffering."

"Whatcha mean endless torment and suffering?  I'm
having a hoot here.   Obviously I'm missing a few body parts but it doesn't
feel any different.  It's got to be better than death."

"Look what they've done to you though.  They
aren't nice people.  You've just admitted to me that they ripped your tongue
and ears off."

"Bah, you never saw me when they found me.  I was
a right mess.  Do you know what a drowned man looks like?  I was half-eaten
anyway."

"What's your name?"

"Marvo the Magnificent."

Olligh sighed.  "No, I mean your real name, not
your stage name."

"Oh! I was called Marvin Taylor.  I owned a
successful sweet shop near Brondton Village.   You might know of it?"

"No, I can't say I do."

"Well, it was only a small village but lots of
merchants passed through which helped my business remarkably.  I actually
enjoyed living there until the vagabonds arrived.  I'd still be there now if
I’d given them what they wanted.”

“What did they want?  Chocolates and candy?”

“No, if only. They had a bigger sweet tooth.  They
wanted my shop, my livelihood and even my wife.”

“Not good.”

“To be honest, I’d have been happy to give them my
wife.  Since she started stuffing her face on marshmallows and ignoring me, she
wasn’t the woman she used to be.”

“Hmm... I’m ever so sorry to hear about that.”

“But no, they wanted everything.  If I hadn’t been so
greedy and gave them what they wanted, I might still be alive and well today. 
They probably wouldn't have tied those rocks to me and shoved me in the river either."

"They murdered you? That’s shocking! Mind, after
all I've been through recently, it doesn’t surprise me. Greed often brings out
the worst in people."

"Yeah, well I'm not going back with you to die. 
At least I'm still here and I can see, think and talk."

Olligh gazed thoughtfully at Marvin.  "Yes, I'm
still wondering how you can talk.  There's no logic to it."

"Believe me, you wouldn't want to know."

"Oh, I would, but we haven't got time.  I need to
get you out of that cage."

 "Are you deaf? I'm not going with you!"

Olligh reached for the cage and tried to open the
door.  It was locked with a padlock.

"Oh, you are. Only then will I be able to rest in
peace with my dear wife and move on from this accursed form."

"I'm not going.  The Dark Cloaks are a bunch of
swindlers.  They'll probably charge you gold for their services."

"I'd quite happily give them a bag or two of gold
in return for my wife and some peaceful time together.   If you have any sense
you'll accept their help without hesitation."

"Bah! What they going to do to me? How will they
guarantee I’ll stay dead? I bet you they’ll just smash me up into little pieces
and hope I don’t talk anymore?"

"Utter nonsense. They'll simply give you a potion
and... ah..."

"What?"

Olligh stroked his chin. "Well, it's going to be
difficult trying to get you to drink anything, isn't it?  The liquid won’t get
very far, will it?"

"Wonderful. Does that mean I can stay here
then?"

Olligh frowned. "Look, do you know where the key
is for this cage?"

"Yeah, but you won't be able to get it."

"Why ever not?"

"The hag has it.  She sleeps with it.  Wouldn't
surprise me if she swallows it every night.  Then you're going to have a long,
unpleasant wait, aren’t you?"

"You’re not being very helpful. Where can I find
this hag?"

"Two tents down. Go on, find her.  At least then
you won't be coming back here bothering me.  She’ll make a pie out of
you."

Olligh sighed and made for the tent door.

"Thank you.  See, it wasn’t that difficult, was
it?  I’ll find this dear old hag and get the key but I’m warning you, I'll be
back and you’ll be coming with me whether you like it or not.”

“Pah!” Marvin uttered as Olligh poked his head outside
to check the surroundings.   He noticed two figures approaching the tent so
quickly returned inside.

“Changed your mind, eh?” Marvin asked.

“Shh,” Olligh said, lifting the lid of the coffin.
“Someone’s coming.”

Olligh stepped inside the coffin and lay down rather
snugly.  Just as he closed the lid behind him, someone entered the tent.

“Come on,” said a man’s voice.  “We can have some fun
in here.”

A woman giggled. “Oh, Kevin, what if we get caught? 
It’d be ever so embarrassing.”

“Don’t be silly woman.  Nobodies interested in coming
here. Everyone’s going to be watching the clowns while we’re clowning around.”

“Ooh, it’s horrid in here.  Not sure I feel up to it. 
Look at that creepy skull.”

“Look, sit down and I’ll soon get you in the mood. 
The skull’s not real, you know.  It’s not going to bite you.”

The woman giggled again. “I’m more worried about being
bitten by you than the skull.”

“Yeah, you better believe it.  Come here.”

For a moment all went quiet.  Olligh strained to hear
what was happening and guessed they were kissing.  The woman moaned and someone
sat on the coffin.

“There, do you feel better now?” Kevin asked.

“Oh, yes.  Feeling much better”

“Come on, get your top off.  I want to see your
gorgeous globes.”

“You devil! What if someone comes in?”

“They won’t.  Look, how about we do it in the coffin? 
That would be kinky, eh?”