29

ZARCONI’S MAGIC FLYING FISH

Doc got the generator working and the beach lit up like a weird moonscape. It was an act of faith that people would pay, without walls to keep freeloaders from taking a peek. Somehow Nance had managed to spread the word and hundreds of people turned out to see the show. The bleachers were packed tight. Gus found a good seat for Annie and she sat with her hands folded in her lap, looking tense and nervous.

Doc started the show with his fire-eating. Gus had never seen him make such huge blow-outs of fire. Without the canvas to worry about, there was no need for him to hold anything back. The jets of flame were spectacular against the night sky.

There was a new sharp energy in everybody’s performances that night. Cas and Effie did their bareback riding routine with Buster looking hilarious in a tu-tu as he followed them around the ring perched on Miette. The crack of Nance’s whip echoed along the beach and across the smooth sea. Vytas’s birds whirled over the audience before returning to land on his outstretched arms with precision timing. Gus shot a glance at his mum. She was looking more relaxed as the show went along. She even laughed when Effie chased him around the ring and he did a series of pratfalls in the sawdust.

‘And now, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls,’ bellowed Doc, ‘Zarconi’s Incredible Travelling Circus proudly presents the Dazzling Duo, the most spectacular trapeze artists in the whole of Australia!’

Cas and Vytas secured the net and then winched Hannah and Effie up onto the platform from which they would launch themselves in a double trapeze act. Gus ran behind the bleachers and slipped into the silver and white leotard that Nance had laid out for him. His back tingled as the silky smooth lycra met his skin.

The ring was in shadow, all the lights trained on the trapeze. He stood in the half-light, dusting rosin on his hands and the soles of his feet, and took three deep breaths. Effie and Hannah had returned to their platforms and were bowing to the crowd. Hannah looked down at Gus and winked. He felt his heart skip with excitement. Vytas clipped the mechanic around his waist and he started walking up one of the wires that supported the rig. He heard Nance’s voice ringing out over the applause of the crowd.

‘And now, for the first time in Australia with the starry night sky as their backdrop, Zarconi’s Incredible Travelling Circus is proud to present the most daring flying trapeze act in the Southern Hemisphere – the Fearless Threesome, featuring Gus Zarconi, fifth-generation circus performer extraordinaire.’

Gus didn’t look down – he didn’t want to see the expression on either Doc or Annie’s face. He kept his gaze fixed on the platform as he sprang up the wire. Cas trained the spotlight on him and the spangles on his leotard glittered, sending little arrows of coloured light out ahead of him.

When he neared the platform, Effie and Hannah reached out their hands and hoisted him up. The audience broke into a round of applause and Gus spread his arms in a gesture of acceptance and bowed.

He unclipped the mechanic and tossed it down to Vytas. For a split second he caught a glimpse of what was happening at the ringside. Nance had moved into the shadows and was holding Doc by the arm, restraining him. Annie was moving along the edge of the ring to where they stood, her face pale and drawn.

Hannah unhooked a trapeze, flew across the net to the catcher’s trap and swung the trapeze back. Gus caught it in one hand. He took one last look down and saw his mother standing between Doc and Nance, all three faces staring up at him. He grasped the bar with both hands and swung out over the ring. The stars blurred into a swirling mass as he let go of the bar and spun into a somersault. Hannah’s hands closed around his wrists and she swung his body up towards the sky before releasing him to spin and fly back to the bar. The cool night air rushed past him, and as if from very far away he could hear the applause of the audience raining down around him.