Read The Midnight Carnival for Free Online Page B

wanting to chill out at home and do nothing.
    As they made their way through the packed stalls, Jenny seemed eager to see Agata again. She had been very taken with the idea of weightlifting, and Grace was sure she had seen the tall girl flexing her muscles beneath her hoody more than once during the day. Delilah was also keen to see the strongwoman’s show, but Una and Rachel had to be dragged along.
    ‘That tent is teeny,’ Una complained. ‘How good can it be?’
    ‘So what if it’s small?’ Jenny snapped. ‘Agata was awesome during the main show. You saw her.’
    ‘Yeah, the one with the weights, I remember. It was okay, I guess.’
    ‘Okay? That stuff weighs–’
    ‘Let’s just go, Una,’ Rachel interrupted. ‘It won’t take long and then we can go get some hotdogs.’
    The tent was a fraction the size of the red-and-white striped spectacle and, with only a few kerosene lamps to light it, it was quite gloomy inside. There was a small platform in the centre that looked homemade, just planks of uneven timber nailed together, and Grace didn’t think it could fit both performers at once.
    It didn’t have to. Agata was up first. Confined to the tinystage, she couldn’t do the tremendous anvil-throwing that had startled them during the main show, but she had a selection of dumbbells that looked progressively heavier. She did some poses first, flexing her enormous biceps, and showing off the massive chiselled muscles in her calves. At first, she just lifted the weights, then threw them in the air and caught them, then got some gasps from the audience as she juggled three of the largest. To finish off the performance she invited six kids to sit on a low wooden bench next to the platform, then lifted it clear above her head. She grinned widely at the girls, holding the bench aloft like it was no trouble at all, the kids squealing and laughing as their feet dangled in the air.
    There were whoops and cheers as Agata took a bow, then Drake quietly replaced her on the stage. Some sitar music started up from offstage, and the twanging notes of the guitar-like instrument created a mysterious atmosphere. Drake’s blue eyes scanned the crowd, and Grace found herself checking her chin for any traces of candy floss, and sweeping a few loose strands of hair off her face. The boy didn’t engage the audience with big smiles, like Agata had, but he was hypnotic nonetheless. He opened his arms wide, as if to welcome them, then bent backwards into a crab position. His feet lifted slowly off the ground to point forwards, then his back curved so tightly he was able to raise his head and look straight at those in front. Lowering onto his elbows, his feet then pulled back to rest under his chin.
    Grace was transfixed, but also aware of the junk-food discomfort in her tummy. Watching Drake twist and turn into improbable shapes made her feel all the more queasy. She hoped it didn’t show in her face, especially when he caught her gaze and flashed a barely there smile. It didn’t quite fit with his super-cool performance, but she liked that he did it anyway.
    As his performance continued, the green-skinned boy appeared to have bones made of jelly – he turned to the side, making a c-shape with his whole body, then did some push-ups where his back was arched allowing him to tuck his feet into his armpits. But the big finish came when Agata brought out a glass box and rested it on the stage with a door open on one side. It was perhaps big enough to fit a child half Drake’s size. But he crouched down next to the open door and slid one bent leg inside until the knee was lodged firmly in the top corner opposite. Then, hunching his shoulders and ducking his head, he pushed most of his body into the box. With his one free arm he shunted his head along the glass front, further and further, until it rested almost against his far knee. With one final flourish, he kicked out his free leg, pointed the toe, and curled the limb inside. Agata