The Little Monster

That night, spent in an uncomfortable cot between two clowns known only as Pack Rat Red and Rufus Caboose, Eugene dreamed big dreams.

His dreams began as a nightmare, finding himself walking through the midways of the carnival, in search of his mother, calling out to her through every opened tent and amusement. Strange and dark creatures lurked in every shadow, taunting him with each step, calling him names most unsuitable for print. His tears fell like giant crocodile tears upon the dusty earth at his feet until he was no longer walking on the dusty midways, but making his way slowly through muddy paths.

When he felt as though he were ready to collapse, a bright blue star in the sky suddenly shone brighter and began to fall. Steadily it grew as it descended, down through clouds and mist; across mountains and seas. It fell silently and gradually until at last it was swallowed up by a small tent directly ahead of him. The light of the star shone through the tears and seams of the cloth in brilliant rays, one of which landed directly upon him.

Rejuvenated by this new light, Eugene trudged on until he finally reached the front of the tent. Frightened and tired, he pulled the cloth aside slightly, so as to not be discovered, and peeked into the warm room beyond, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star that shone so brightly.

Inside, he saw no star, but a woman, dressed in a silver gown. The hem of the gown nearly reached the ground, leaving just her ten tiny toes peeking out from beneath, each toenail painted opalescent blue. Her body was long and lean and seemingly made of pure light. Her hair, held back from her angular face by a giant silver comb, was a brilliant shade of blue.

He watched her for some time, his tiny baboon heart pounding before she acknowledged him with a wry smile. Quickly, he dropped the tent cloth and turned away from the tent, ready to run.

“Please.” Her voice sang to him. “Come in.”

He stopped in his tracks, head held low, embarrassed for being discovered.

“Please.” Her soft melodic voice rang again. “I won't harm you.”

He turned back to the entrance and once again pulled back the thick canvas; just enough for his misshapen head to poke through. He looked about cautiously and then at her.

She was positioned still as a statue, one knee on the soft earth, with one hand extended out to him, as if calling to a stray animal. “Come here, little one.” She persisted. “I won't bite.”

If he wasn't worried about being bitten before, he was then. Why would someone say such a thing, he thought, unless they had a history of biting small children.

Summoning all his courage, Eugene took several steps through the entrance, allowing the canvas to close behind him.

The Blue Faerie watched him with the curiosity of a cat, hand still extended until he was all the way inside the tent. Then she lowered her hand slowly and spoke again. “There is nothing to be afraid of in here, little one.” Her voice rang with truth.

Eugene, remaining alert to his surroundings, continued closer until he was within arms reach.

“That's better.” She smiled. “Let me have a look at you.”

Eugene smiled back; That same hideous smile that would send neighborhood children scampering for their parents.

“Why you have a lovely smile.” She told him. “Not at all what I expected.”

“Thank you.” He blurted; it sounding a bit more like “Farglesnap.”

“And such lovely manners.” She winked at him.

For the first time, Eugene took notice of the myriad of tiny creatures that surrounded her, flitting through the air, attracted to her. Tiny winged humanoid creatures, shaped much as she but with tiny wings like that of a damselfly, darting and spinning through the air, chirping in high pitched voices, a language he could not understand; and all of them utterly naked.

He blushed upon noticing their nakedness and looked away.

The tiny faeries laughed in unison, causing him to blush even further.

“Come.” The Blue Faerie spoke up again. “Walk with me.”

Eugene lifted his head and found that they were no longer in a carnival tent, but in a moonlit glade, encompassed completely by large willow trees. What Eugene originally thought to be fireflies revealed themselves to be more of the tiny naked faeries, dancing to and fro through the warm night air. He stood in utter disbelief for some time before the Blue Faerie extended her hand toward him. Eugene shyly obliged, reaching up and grasping her own tiny hand. As she quietly led him toward a small opening in the trees, he looked up at her in wonderment as he thought also of his mother, hoping she was okay.

“Your mother is not well.” The Faerie Queen looked down at Eugene. “She is as lost as you are, and the very reason I am here.”

Eugene tilted his head.

“She made a wish for you, young Eugene, and I am here to find what must be done to fulfill that wish.”

He wanted to ask what she had wished for him but could only manage to ask “For sniffle ganfrum wiff?”

The Faerie and Child Monster stopped alongside a glittering brook, looking down into the lily-covered depths. “She wished you could be happy.”

Eugene watched multi-colored koi swim underneath the lily pads.

“What would make you happy?”

Eugene pondered the question for only a moment. “I want to be a real boy.” He spouted out at last and his words came out as fluid and as eloquently as you please. He smiled at his own accomplishment.

“A real boy?” The Blue Faerie thought for what Eugene thought was a very long time. She looked him over at length, from one angle and then another before she at last answered. “That can be done.”

Eugene was delighted, nearly jumping out of his skin. He grabbed hold of the Blue Faerie and hugged her as if he had never hugged anyone before in his life. “Farglesnap.” He cried and all the tiny creatures rang out along with him, their little bodies shimmering even more brightly.

“You are welcome, little Eugene. But, to become a real boy,” The Blue Faerie cautioned, “you must work very hard to always do right.”

Eugene nodded.

“You must strive to be brave, truthful, and kind.”

Again Eugene nodded.

“You must be giving and above all else,” The Faerie finishes with a flourish. “You must be able to discern right from wrong.”

“I promise.” Eugene's horrible smile stretched across his face.

“That's a good boy, Eugene.” The Blue Faerie held the little monster in her arms then and whisked him away to sleep. “That's a very fine boy.” She said again and was gone.

In the morning, when Eugene finally emerged from his tiny trailer, the busy, crowd-filled midways of the carnival were gone. Overnight, the fairgrounds were transformed from a glorious spectacle of light and magic into a muddy, barren landscape, littered with trash and debris. The sweet smells of cotton candy, caramel, and licorice that had once danced upon his nose and lips gave way to the pungent aromas of diesel and dust that stung his eyes.

Eugene was sad and immediately lonely. He had always enjoyed being alone before and it struck him as odd that when was finally given the chance, he would have preferred to be with his mother or father.

The carnies, a colorful collection of peoples, many of which Eugene had never seen the likes of, had just about finished the tedious job of tearing down all the rides and various amusements.

The clowns, dressed in work clothes but still sporting their painted faces, appeared to perform mostly managerial roles, directing the many others during their menial tasks. He spotted Rufus Caboose supervising a squad of tiny monkeys as they went about the business of deconstructing the Merry-Go-Round Eugene had ridden the day before. The monkeys swarmed about the amusement, with small wrenches in hand, twisting here and there, as if they shared a community brain. Where one stopped and moved on, another took over. He watched as the unicorn was removed from its mounting and placed within a wooden crate, by tiny monkey hands.

With Rufus Caboose directing the carefully orchestrated removal, the whole process took no more than fifteen minutes. A process he had thought would take hours.

Once the deconstruction was completed, Eugene set out in search of Pepe.