The Freaks Come Out At Night-Part 2

     Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival was an eclectic blend of carnival folk that had bonded closer than most true families. They bickered like siblings but were fiercer than a lion when someone threatened a member of the clan.  Regardless of their station, no one believed themselves to be better than another inside the carnival.  As BT always said, they were a gigantic machine and each cog kept the wheel turning; each piece vital to production.  At one point or another BT had bailed each and every staffer out of some sort of trouble.  It was high time they returned the favor.  Admittedly, it had taken some time for the staff to work out a solution since BT was, quite literally, their ring leader but loyalty was one thing the carnival folk had in spades.  The plan was risky but each and every soul vowed to do their part to help their intrepid leader. 

            “I, for one, know I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for BT.” Jared, one of the animal trainers, declared as he rose from his seat.  “Like most of us, BT took me in when I had nowhere to go and no family to look out for me.  He taught me a trade, treated me like one of his own…hell, he’s even bailed me outta jail, but he never gave up on me.  He sat up with me as I went through detox and he helped me kick the habit.  No way am I gonna turn my back on him.  I’d steal, cheat or kill for BT to keep this place up and running!” 

If anyone had even the slightest doubt, Jared’s words won them over.  There wasn’t a single soul in BT’s employ who didn’t own him a debt of gratitude. 

            “Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Maven hissed.  “If everything goes the way I’ve planned… it will be smooth sailing from here on out.”

     Maven was the only member of Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival that truly frightened the staff as well as the customers.  His little sideshow tent left patrons quivering with trepidation and it was the sole attraction that none of his coworkers attended.  He had started out with simple “mind reading” but has since embraced a darker, more spine-tingling approach.  Though BT asserted that it was merely an act, the others sensed there was more behind Maven’s mystique than showmanship.  It was that underlying fear that made the others agree to put Maven’s plan into effect without even hearing all the details.  And that suited Maven just fine.