Everybody Scream! Read Online Free

of a less domesticated nature. Thick black cables snaked across the dirt path between them. There were strewn empty popcorn cups, soda and beer cups, half-eaten remnants of food, even here away from the carnival proper. Even as he started to become disturbed by the trash one of the maintenance kids scuffed along dragging his wheeled zapper, picking up the more salient refuse and dropping it into the disintegrator. He wore elbow-high black rubbery gloves to protect himself from accidentally getting his hands too close, and a Flemm t-shirt. You’d think they were the only fucking group on the planet Oasis, Del thought.
    Last night for the fair. Del had mixed feelings. He had enjoyed the experience more this year than the first two that Sophi had run the fair, because this year he had barely allowed himself to participate in the organization and execution of it. It was Sophi’s pet–why should he bang his head against a wall, keeping after the endless details and responsibilities? For once he’d had some real fun. He’d had a chance to meet people, and get to know the crew people of the fair and carnival themselves. Some people knew of his past achievements, many didn’t–which was good, in a way, since his privacy had always been vital to him. Actually, maybe he’d had too much fun, met too many people, got to know others too well. Like any work community, this one was a jealous, gossipy bunch and he was sure that Sophi knew about his several summertime flings with crew members. She hadn’t said anything overtly, though...just a few of her knowing sort of dry remarks, such as her familiar offer to have a new, inconspicuously flesh-colored wedding band made for him. Despite their arrangement, he kept things quiet. It was a silent arrangement, at this point. Sometimes, though, it felt like a silent volcano to him. Caution was best.
    So, that crazy and dream-like carnival excitement would end tonight. The carnival’s end was as sure a sign of the end of summer as was the starting of school after this weekend. According to the calendar, summer would continue on a few more weeks. But everyone else knew better. It was already autumn. The weather had already changed–the past few days had been gray and cool, chilly at night. Normally he loved autumn, but the closing of the carnival was always a bit depressing, as if again he felt that he had to return to school. He could empathize with the flocks of kids, squeezing what last summer juice they could out of this final night (though their too-great squeezing seemed to irritate him more each year, especially with all these arrogant swaggering louts dressed up like Chauncy Carnal).
    Autumn wouldn’t leave Sophi totally without projects, by any means. Some of the carnival (which she outright owned, initially purchased primarily through Del’s resources, though the fair which featured the carnival was organized by the township with Sophi placed at the immediate helm) would break up and go south for the cold seasons, and other parts would teleport to tour some Tikkihotto towns (Del’s coup, with the aid of the people who had promoted and helped facilitate his shows there previously). Last year the Kahns themselves had gone south with the carnival but this year, thank God, they were staying up here. He wanted to kick back, this year, just rest, while she did her buying and dealing and organizing for next year, and her long distance overseeing of the dispersed schism carnivals.
    But what happened when he got tired of kicking back, just resting, as he knew he must? He had before. He didn’t want to think about it but the water wouldn’t wash away the question. His business manager kept urging him to produce, at least, and he kept saying that he wanted to some day, but he didn’t feel the drive. His keyboard player, Rusty Scupper, was doing a second solo album, splitting the vocals with another singer (Rusty was a pleasant singer, with the right–light, bouncy–material) and had