CARNIVAL du MYSTIQUE
A Harry Potter UNIVERSE/ Sasporilla Bucket Fan Fiction
by Darren Kelly
Chapter 7
Southampton was the next lucky city on tour of the Carnival du Mystique. At a hard ride it had taken Sasporilla a bit over an hour to arrive at an empty parking lot by an old castle wall. A very popular land mark and tourist attraction for both muggle and magical folk alike.
Agnes Moorsehead, the carnivals blind fortune teller stood up from a concrete parking curb and walked over as Sassy touched down.
"You found us first try." Agnes smiled holding up a very plain looking brass ring. "An impressive feat without a ring."
"What does the ring do?" Sasporilla asked.
"The best way to explain it is to show you." Agnes smiled taking Sassy by the arm. "But we'd best step just a few feet over to the right."
Sasporilla chuckled as they stepped one, two, three steps side ways. It was like they were doing a funny dance in an empty parking lot in the middle of the night.
"Now," Agnes said, "Slip the ring on your finger and don't worry, it won't cripple your magical abilities or leave a brand on your finger like the one on your wrist."
"For a woman with no eyes," Sasporilla said. "You see everything don't you?"
"The cosmos act as my eyes." Agnes smiled. "All of the universe reveals itself to me."
"Hard to hide from that." Sassy said as she slipped the brass ring onto the ring finger of her right hand.
A glowing golden ribbon of energy formed on the ground. Sasporilla followed the golden glow with her eyes in both directions as it encircled the Southampton old castle wall area.
"What is it?" Sasporilla asked.
"That is the border of the Carnival grounds." Agnes smiled. "Everywhere we go, the Carnival du Mystique has set areas, like this one and the one in Piccalilli Circus, that exist as pocket worlds just beyond our own. The only way you can find your way in is through the turnstile or through the door way where the turnstile is placed."
"But to find the door way," Sassy said realizing the pair of them stood less than a meter from a large gold square in the Carnivals border, "you need the ring!"
Sassy and Agnes stepped through the golden gateway into the chaotic grounds of the Carnival du Mystique.
Carnies waved wands and helped to raise the giant wheel on the far side of the carnival grounds. Others set up their own booths or personal tents in the camp.
"Did you bring a tent?" Agnes asked showing Sassy over to an empty spot in the camp.
"Actually," Sasporilla said trying to gauge the size of the space. "I have a caravan."
"You do?" Agnes said surprised, checking around her.
"It's a feature of my broom actually." Sasporilla smiled.
"That's brilliant!" Agnes gasped. "I've never heard of such a feature. It would make the lives of so many carnies so much better. You'll have to tell me the make and model!"
"Of course." Sasporilla said agreed cheerfully. "It's a Triumphant twelve-hundred X."
"Well there won't be space in the tent camps for a caravan." Agnes mused. "But we should be able to squeeze you in comfortably just behind mine."
The young women walked to the west side of the midway where the blind fortune teller had her attraction tent set up just in front of her own Caravan. The girls walked around back. There was a large empty space big enough to comfortably fit Sasporillas Caravan as well as her wand stand.
"Will this do?" Agnes asked.
"Oh my yes." Sasporilla smiled. "It's perfect. It has enough room for everything comfortably."
"Splendid!" Agnes said. "Then I'll leave you to set up. Mr.Beauxchamps expects everyone settled by sunrise. First meeting 6am by the big wheel."
"Meeting?" Sasporilla enquired.
"Every morning, rain or shine, so to speak." Agnes smiled. "Never rains in here. Mr.Beauxchamps hands out daily assignments, introduces new people, sets daily tasks or punishments for infractions of rules the day before. You know, usual things."
"No." Sasporilla sighed as it was all so new to her. "But I'm sure I'll catch on soon enough."
With a quick cast, Sasporillas broom cap opened and her caravan sprang forth setting itself up next to Agnes' leaving a comfortable space between. Sasporilla set up her booth at the end of her steps and ran the tie-dye cloth up to the roof of her caravan. It joined her home and work together in a way that made her feel comfortable.
By three am Sasporilla was set up and quite frankly ready for a well earned nap. She went inside and set her alarm for five forty five. That would give her plenty of time for quick kip on the couch before this big meeting at six am. Sasporilla barely closed her eyes before the clattering jangle of the alarm roused her from a much deeper slumber than intended.
A quick glance at the clock confirmed her fears.
"Five Fifty Five!" Sassy gasped.
She had fallen so deeply asleep that the alarm had rung for ten minutes and she'd slept straight through it. Next time she'd get the alarm with function that slapped your face if you slept five minutes past. She always thought that may be a bad idea as she just might slap back, being a bit moody when just awakened.
Finding no time for such debates she grabbed her purple jacket with the pink frilled cuffs and headed out the front door of the caravan.
Sasporilla was one of the last to wander up to the back of the crowd that gathered at the ferris wheel for the morning meeting. Mr.Beauxchamps stood just inside an opened ferris wheel car smiling out at everyone.
"Good morning my carnival family." Mr.Beauxchamps said. "Here we are again, another town to prepare for our show. Setup was a success as always. I would like to invite our newest member, Ms.Sasporilla Bucket up to the front???"
Sassy waved and stepped up through the crowd to join Mr.Beauxchamps.
"Ms.Bucket volunteered to rid us of our weekly nuisance this week."
"Poor woman." Sasporilla sighed.
"I beg your pardon?" Mr.Beauxchamps asked.
"She lost love before it could truly find her." Sasporilla said. "Now she tries to recapture it in the reflection of a mirror. It's sad."
"Indeed." Mr.Beauxchamps smiled. "But there are real loves out there."
"And if she chooses them we may not see her again when the gates open." Sassy winked.
"We can only hope." Beauxchamps grinned. "Friends, Ms.Bucket has been hired by the carnival to maintain company wands. Each of you will be given a chit."
The old wizard pulled a blue and gold chit about the size of a ticket on the hogwarts express and held it up over his head.
"This chit can be redeemed with Ms.Bucket for one full cleaning and full servicing of your wand, courtesy of the Carnival du Mystique!"
The carnies erupted in applause as the old wizard cast a pile of the chits into the air and one each landed in the hand of a carny.
"Ms.Bucket," Mr.Beauxchamps said quietly, "you will of course receive two galleons per chit brought to the office as per our agreed upon price."
"Thank you Mr.Beauxchamps." Sasporilla smiled. "That is more than fair."
It amazed Sasporilla how many jobs there were to do in a carnival before opening. There were fresh food stocks to go buy. Posters to hang. Mr.Beauxchamps even asked for volunteers to help put up one of the children's attractions, "The Bubble World" stand, as the carny who ran it had fallen victim to case of wine someone had left behind on their last stop. All those days of drinking, was going to take the company doctor, days to dry her out again. Sassy volunteered to help set up the booth.
So many people stopped by over the next few days. Some, who desperately needed their wands cleaned, cracks filled and cores tuned. Most just wanted to see the new face and meet the new girl. Especially some of the braver of the lonely hearts amongst the carny men, who began circling in their best hawaiian shirts, like sharks at a feeding frenzy.
Saaporilla stood sheepishly at her booth on Wednsday night, as eight young men with slicked back hair all carrying flowers and candy stood there grinning at her hoping to win her attentions.
"Gentlemen please." Sasporilla begged. "I'm really not interested in looking for anyone right now but thank you. I'm flattered."
"Why not?" One of the carnies asked. "What's wrong with any of us?"
"Nothing." Sasporilla said. "I'm just not interested."
"Well maybe we could make you interested?" One of the carnies waggled his eyebrows.
Sasporilla could see Agnes watching from the flap of her booth. Sassy sighed, she knew that she owed them no explanation but for whatever reason it looked like she was going to have to get stern with them.
"Right." Sassy said stiffening. "Now you lot just listen here! I have been in love twice and had my bloody heart broken twice. I will choose another man when I am bloody well good and ready and he will bloody well be whom I choose and no one else. Do... you... understand?"
"Yes mam" the carnies apologized scattering. "Sorry to have bothered you mam. I'll stop by for a cleaning tomorrow."
Agnes clapped and laughed as Sasporilla Bucket took her first official bow of the Carnival du Mystique.
Southampton was the next lucky city on tour of the Carnival du Mystique. At a hard ride it had taken Sasporilla a bit over an hour to arrive at an empty parking lot by an old castle wall. A very popular land mark and tourist attraction for both muggle and magical folk alike.
Agnes Moorsehead, the carnivals blind fortune teller stood up from a concrete parking curb and walked over as Sassy touched down.
"You found us first try." Agnes smiled holding up a very plain looking brass ring. "An impressive feat without a ring."
"What does the ring do?" Sasporilla asked.
"The best way to explain it is to show you." Agnes smiled taking Sassy by the arm. "But we'd best step just a few feet over to the right."
Sasporilla chuckled as they stepped one, two, three steps side ways. It was like they were doing a funny dance in an empty parking lot in the middle of the night.
"Now," Agnes said, "Slip the ring on your finger and don't worry, it won't cripple your magical abilities or leave a brand on your finger like the one on your wrist."
"For a woman with no eyes," Sasporilla said. "You see everything don't you?"
"The cosmos act as my eyes." Agnes smiled. "All of the universe reveals itself to me."
"Hard to hide from that." Sassy said as she slipped the brass ring onto the ring finger of her right hand.
A glowing golden ribbon of energy formed on the ground. Sasporilla followed the golden glow with her eyes in both directions as it encircled the Southampton old castle wall area.
"What is it?" Sasporilla asked.
"That is the border of the Carnival grounds." Agnes smiled. "Everywhere we go, the Carnival du Mystique has set areas, like this one and the one in Piccalilli Circus, that exist as pocket worlds just beyond our own. The only way you can find your way in is through the turnstile or through the door way where the turnstile is placed."
"But to find the door way," Sassy said realizing the pair of them stood less than a meter from a large gold square in the Carnivals border, "you need the ring!"
Sassy and Agnes stepped through the golden gateway into the chaotic grounds of the Carnival du Mystique.
Carnies waved wands and helped to raise the giant wheel on the far side of the carnival grounds. Others set up their own booths or personal tents in the camp.
"Did you bring a tent?" Agnes asked showing Sassy over to an empty spot in the camp.
"Actually," Sasporilla said trying to gauge the size of the space. "I have a caravan."
"You do?" Agnes said surprised, checking around her.
"It's a feature of my broom actually." Sasporilla smiled.
"That's brilliant!" Agnes gasped. "I've never heard of such a feature. It would make the lives of so many carnies so much better. You'll have to tell me the make and model!"
"Of course." Sasporilla said agreed cheerfully. "It's a Triumphant twelve-hundred X."
"Well there won't be space in the tent camps for a caravan." Agnes mused. "But we should be able to squeeze you in comfortably just behind mine."
The young women walked to the west side of the midway where the blind fortune teller had her attraction tent set up just in front of her own Caravan. The girls walked around back. There was a large empty space big enough to comfortably fit Sasporillas Caravan as well as her wand stand.
"Will this do?" Agnes asked.
"Oh my yes." Sasporilla smiled. "It's perfect. It has enough room for everything comfortably."
"Splendid!" Agnes said. "Then I'll leave you to set up. Mr.Beauxchamps expects everyone settled by sunrise. First meeting 6am by the big wheel."
"Meeting?" Sasporilla enquired.
"Every morning, rain or shine, so to speak." Agnes smiled. "Never rains in here. Mr.Beauxchamps hands out daily assignments, introduces new people, sets daily tasks or punishments for infractions of rules the day before. You know, usual things."
"No." Sasporilla sighed as it was all so new to her. "But I'm sure I'll catch on soon enough."
With a quick cast, Sasporillas broom cap opened and her caravan sprang forth setting itself up next to Agnes' leaving a comfortable space between. Sasporilla set up her booth at the end of her steps and ran the tie-dye cloth up to the roof of her caravan. It joined her home and work together in a way that made her feel comfortable.
By three am Sasporilla was set up and quite frankly ready for a well earned nap. She went inside and set her alarm for five forty five. That would give her plenty of time for quick kip on the couch before this big meeting at six am. Sasporilla barely closed her eyes before the clattering jangle of the alarm roused her from a much deeper slumber than intended.
A quick glance at the clock confirmed her fears.
"Five Fifty Five!" Sassy gasped.
She had fallen so deeply asleep that the alarm had rung for ten minutes and she'd slept straight through it. Next time she'd get the alarm with function that slapped your face if you slept five minutes past. She always thought that may be a bad idea as she just might slap back, being a bit moody when just awakened.
Finding no time for such debates she grabbed her purple jacket with the pink frilled cuffs and headed out the front door of the caravan.
Sasporilla was one of the last to wander up to the back of the crowd that gathered at the ferris wheel for the morning meeting. Mr.Beauxchamps stood just inside an opened ferris wheel car smiling out at everyone.
"Good morning my carnival family." Mr.Beauxchamps said. "Here we are again, another town to prepare for our show. Setup was a success as always. I would like to invite our newest member, Ms.Sasporilla Bucket up to the front???"
Sassy waved and stepped up through the crowd to join Mr.Beauxchamps.
"Ms.Bucket volunteered to rid us of our weekly nuisance this week."
"Poor woman." Sasporilla sighed.
"I beg your pardon?" Mr.Beauxchamps asked.
"She lost love before it could truly find her." Sasporilla said. "Now she tries to recapture it in the reflection of a mirror. It's sad."
"Indeed." Mr.Beauxchamps smiled. "But there are real loves out there."
"And if she chooses them we may not see her again when the gates open." Sassy winked.
"We can only hope." Beauxchamps grinned. "Friends, Ms.Bucket has been hired by the carnival to maintain company wands. Each of you will be given a chit."
The old wizard pulled a blue and gold chit about the size of a ticket on the hogwarts express and held it up over his head.
"This chit can be redeemed with Ms.Bucket for one full cleaning and full servicing of your wand, courtesy of the Carnival du Mystique!"
The carnies erupted in applause as the old wizard cast a pile of the chits into the air and one each landed in the hand of a carny.
"Ms.Bucket," Mr.Beauxchamps said quietly, "you will of course receive two galleons per chit brought to the office as per our agreed upon price."
"Thank you Mr.Beauxchamps." Sasporilla smiled. "That is more than fair."
It amazed Sasporilla how many jobs there were to do in a carnival before opening. There were fresh food stocks to go buy. Posters to hang. Mr.Beauxchamps even asked for volunteers to help put up one of the children's attractions, "The Bubble World" stand, as the carny who ran it had fallen victim to case of wine someone had left behind on their last stop. All those days of drinking, was going to take the company doctor, days to dry her out again. Sassy volunteered to help set up the booth.
So many people stopped by over the next few days. Some, who desperately needed their wands cleaned, cracks filled and cores tuned. Most just wanted to see the new face and meet the new girl. Especially some of the braver of the lonely hearts amongst the carny men, who began circling in their best hawaiian shirts, like sharks at a feeding frenzy.
Saaporilla stood sheepishly at her booth on Wednsday night, as eight young men with slicked back hair all carrying flowers and candy stood there grinning at her hoping to win her attentions.
"Gentlemen please." Sasporilla begged. "I'm really not interested in looking for anyone right now but thank you. I'm flattered."
"Why not?" One of the carnies asked. "What's wrong with any of us?"
"Nothing." Sasporilla said. "I'm just not interested."
"Well maybe we could make you interested?" One of the carnies waggled his eyebrows.
Sasporilla could see Agnes watching from the flap of her booth. Sassy sighed, she knew that she owed them no explanation but for whatever reason it looked like she was going to have to get stern with them.
"Right." Sassy said stiffening. "Now you lot just listen here! I have been in love twice and had my bloody heart broken twice. I will choose another man when I am bloody well good and ready and he will bloody well be whom I choose and no one else. Do... you... understand?"
"Yes mam" the carnies apologized scattering. "Sorry to have bothered you mam. I'll stop by for a cleaning tomorrow."
Agnes clapped and laughed as Sasporilla Bucket took her first official bow of the Carnival du Mystique.
PLEASE REMEMBER
I am in no way affiliated with Warner Bros. or with J.K.Rowling. My work is purely that of fan fiction & do not ask for, nor accept money, gifts or other compensation for my work. If you really feel you must do something, donate to J.K.Rowling's charitable foundation LUMOS! Link below! ( https://www.wearelumos.org/ )
I am in no way affiliated with Warner Bros. or with J.K.Rowling. My work is purely that of fan fiction & do not ask for, nor accept money, gifts or other compensation for my work. If you really feel you must do something, donate to J.K.Rowling's charitable foundation LUMOS! Link below! ( https://www.wearelumos.org/ )