Tepper, Sheri S. - Sideshow by Sideshow

Author:Sideshow [Sideshow]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

"God knows." Jory chuckled humorlessly. "Whatever it is, it cannot hurt you if you do not let yourself be fooled."

The drums fell silent with the entry of the priests, a dozen of them, bony, dirty, skin-headed, rag-robed, bare-footed. They carried bundles that writhed and stank and torches that smoked, bringing tears to the eyes. They brought an altar with them, a tablelike construction suspended between poles, the gilt-horned altar much stained and scarred. When the poles were taken away, the priests took living creatures from their bundles, killed them upon the altar, doused themselves liberally with the blood, then grasrjed the horns at the ftmr corners of the altar as they chanted in guttural voices, the smoke of their torches rising Tepper, Sheri S. - Sideshow

in a vaporous chimney toward the distant roof beams. The chant was repetitive, three or four phrases reiterated over and over. The drums took up the rhythm. Several of the Houm added their voices to the chant, then more and more of them until all were swaying and muttering.

"Don't chant with them," murmured Jory from the sideshow's midst. "Move your mouth, but do not say the words. Remember that what you see will not be real. Think about something else if you can. The taste of fruit, perhaps. The pleasures of the bath. I find it useful to think of warm water and soap. I picture it cutting through slime, washing it away."

Fringe moved her lips and thought, as suggested, of bathing. Danivon moved his lips and thought of cutting Houdum-Bah's throat. "Boy," indeed. Curvis moved his lips and concentrated on the coin in his hand that he was making appear and disappear behind Danivon's back. Bertran saw him and did likewise, controlling his own fear even as he felt Nela's fear rising inside him, making him quiver. Nela, trembling, shut her eyes and concentrated upon the turtle. Gray wind, gray leaf, gray fog rising. Poor turtle, coming into such danger.

Houdum-Bah left the platform to join the priests. He grasped one of the horns of the altar and blended his own huge voice into the tumult.

Jory whoofed in surprise, as though she had been hit in the stomach. Fringe glanced up to see an expression of astonishment on the old woman's face and followed her gaze to the smoke where napping, luminescent flakes had appeared, flakes that gradually joined to one another, coalesced, became a solid thing that shaped itself into a pillar. The pillar gained height and mass, then sprouted roots, branches, became a tree; the tree became a monstrous figure with six arms, six legs, six glaring eyes, six pendulous ears, three sets of great fangs shining from each of its three great mouths that gulped and gulped and gulped again.

"Great Lord Chimi-ahm," shrieked the priests. "Ah-oh, ah-oh, Great Lord Chimi-ahm!"

"Great Lord Chimi-ahm," moaned the Houm. "Ah-oh, ah-oh."

"Great Lord Chimi-ahm," sobbed the Murrey.

The manifestation pointed its multiple arms, a finger at this one, a finger at that. Here a Houm cried out, shaken by spasms.

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