Clown Wyrm - 9. Chapter 9 - Jesters

Periwinkle was following the two jesters down a trail through the dark woods. Krizibop had given him a lantern to carry, but it barely made any difference.

Before long, Glimdrim turned with a little jingling of his bells, and he informed Periwinkle, “We’re leaving the path behind and continuing deeper into the forest this way. Krizibop’ll lead; you can follow her, and I’ll be behind to make sure you don’t get lost.”

Periwinkle was not thrilled to be abandoning the trail, but with the glow from his lantern shining on Krizibop’s back, he followed her into the dense trees.

“You’re doing great,” Glimdrim encouraged behind him. “There isn’t too far to go.”

The trio walked in silence with the sounds of nocturnal animals keeping a quiet symphony in the background, and after a while, Periwinkle could see the glimmer of light through the trees ahead. Krizibop stepped out into a clearing, and Periwinkle joined her. The lights turned out to be a pair of lamps on poles suspended above a bridge that spanned a small river. Glimdrim entered the glen behind Periwinkle and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Welcome to our home. The cave’s this way.”

“You really live in a cave?”

Krizibop chuckled and turned back to Periwinkle. “Don’t say it like that, like it’s a big nasty hole in the ground. You’ll see!”

The three of them headed across the bridge, and Periwinkle could hear the murmur of people rising over the sound of rushing water. The land rose before them, and the forest blocked the view, but as Periwinkle followed Krizibop around a cluster of trees, the cave was revealed. The rise in the land was created by an enormous, jutting boulder, and beneath it was a wide clear space that was protected from the elements and looked well lived-in. The front entrance to the cave was also the cooking area, and even though no one was preparing any food, a merry fire crackled at the center of a very large stone circle.

Periwinkle’s heart gave a little leap at seeing so many jesters. Several of them were getting ready to bed down for the night, but quite a few were still drinking, smoking, and chatting. Everyone near the fire looked over to see who had arrived, and two of the excited folks walked up to Periwinkle and introduced themselves to him.

“Hello, friend! So glad you decided to join our cattywampus group!” one of them declared. “I’m Mothian, but you can call me daddy if you want.” He shot Periwinkle a flirty little air kiss. “And this is Lithrit,” Mothian added, indicating the clown beside him.

“And our taradiddle is legendary!” Lithrit declared with a cackle.

Periwinkle felt right at ease, and he could not stop himself from smiling wide.

Everyone wanted to know where home was for the lost clown, but Glimdrim insisted, “What’s far more important than where Periwinkle’s from,” and he gave Periwinkle a curious look, “is how do you perform?”

Periwinkle’s face lit up. “I’m a sword-swallower!” he declared. “I also do scare events leading up to Halloween. That’s a holiday where I’m from.”

“Never heard of it,” Krizibop replied, “but sword-swallowing is extraordinary, and we haven’t had a sword-swallower in a few years!”

Periwinkle was delighted to hear that there had been local clowns with the same skill as his, and he tried to keep his enthusiasm contained as he asked, “I don’t suppose any of their props are still around, are they?”

“Not sure,” Krizibop replied, “we’ll take a peek in the morning. There’s a shed that we use as a storeroom, but it’ll be too hard to dig through it in the dark. Would love to see you eat a sword though! I hope we’ve still got some.”

“Me too,” Periwinkle said with a smile. He then asked, “Are there any local events that are sort of, I don’t know, like fear-based? Are there any celebrations of death, or protection against evil spirits, or anything like that? That’s kind of what Halloween is about.”

Glimdrim chimed in, “Does the monthly Djishra count?”

“What’s the Deesh-ra?” Periwinkle asked. “Did I say it right?”

“Close,” Glimdrim replied with a chuckle and a jingle of his bells, “on the ides of every month, people give each other small gifts from their gardens or that they made themselves, and we cook a large meal that we share with friends. Afterward, we put our leftovers outside for the holy men to collect, and we call it the Djishra.”

Periwinkle was intrigued. “Who are the holy men, and what do they do with all the food?”

“You don’t have the Gathering of Earthlings where you’re from?”

Periwinkle was confused. “I’ve never heard of that. Does it have something to do with aliens?”

Krizibop and Glimdrim scrunched up their faces at him, and Krizibop said, “Aliens? No, the Djishra is about helping those who have very little. The holy men take the leftovers to their temple, and anyone who is in need can go get free food once a month.”

“So wait,” Periwinkle interjected, “how is this like Halloween? Is there some sort of creepy element to the celebration?”

“Oh right,” Glimdrim replied, “the reason we put our extra food outside is related to an old belief that the spirits of our ancestors used to come back and visit the Earth once a month. People used to believe their dead relatives’ souls would inhabit the bodies of poor people, so in order for their families’ ghosts to partake in the Djishra feast, food needed to be provided for the holy men to collect and redistribute. Everyone gets fed.”

“It’s said,” Krizibop added, “that the barrier between the worlds of the living and the dead is thinnest on the ides of each month. But those old myths about our ancestors inhabiting poor people are ridiculous anyway. Just because someone is struggling, it doesn’t mean they are a vulnerable person, only here for our ancestors’ spirits to use like avatars.”

“Maybe people told themselves the old legends,” Periwinkle ventured, “just to get the practice of helping others in everyday life. I find that people often need a reason to do something, and telling them a good story connects better than plainly stating a set of facts or statistics.”

“You may be right,” Krizibop replied.

Periwinkle had another thought about Halloween. “What about costumes? At Halloween, everyone dresses up in costumes, scary costumes, or funny costumes, or sexy costumes, or campy or silly costumes.”

“We dress up for the annual Night Festival of Lights,” Glimdrim answered, “but everyone’s costumes are always on the same theme. No one attends dressed in a specific costume, like you’re talking about, and instead, we all wear feathers and flowers. There are shops in every town where artisans make synthetic flowers and feathers all year long in preparation for the Night of Lights. Each city holds its own parade, and all the citizens participate. It’s in the autumn, when the nights start getting noticeably longer.”

Krizibop grinned. “I really enjoy that time of year. The days get crisp, and the nights are chilly. You get to wear sweaters and jackets. I love a good jacket.”

Periwinkle let out a satisfied sigh. “That’s my favorite time of year as well. Mercury likes the dead of winter, which is lunacy, but I prefer autumn.”

“Mercury, is that your lover’s name?” one of the other jesters asked.

Periwinkle let out a little giggle. “We actually both prefer men. Well, I guess Mercury dates men and women, but no, we’re not together. She’s my best friend, my clown sister.”

“You said that as if it’s uncommon to be attracted to everyone,” Krizibop replied.

“Is that the norm here?” Periwinkle asked. “Anyone can be with anyone?”

The jesters seemed startled by the notion.

“Why would anyone else care who you’re with?” Krizibop said rhetorically, but Periwinkle answered her.

He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. “Lots of people from where I live think it’s their business who other people are with, and that they have the right to say one relationship is good while another isn’t.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Glimdrim replied.

“I know!” Periwinkle agreed. “People where I’m from are so dumb.”

Krizibop snorted a laugh. “There are dumb people everywhere.”

“How come your friend isn’t here with you?” another one of the jesters asked.

“She wanted to meet the rebels. I think she’s going to try and help overthrow the king.”

The jesters were taken aback.

“Wait, she what?”

Periwinkle looked around at the group. “Isn’t that what the rebels are trying to do? Don’t they want to defeat the royals?”

“The rebels help bring food to needy people, kind of like the holy men,” Glimdrim explained. “They’re not killers. They help folks. That’s the difference between the people who only want power, and those who want to take it from them; the royals only want to help themselves and have no concern for anyone else.”

“I think your friend is going to be a little disappointed,” Krizibop added, “if she thinks she’s on a quest to overthrow the king.”