IN LINE with the fun carnival vibe we’ve been following in anticipation of the March 3 release of our next print publication, we present today as featured story “Carnival Fun” by Jeremy Perry. Perry presents a vivid slice of old-fashioned Americana, a look at the experience of attending a small-town carnival– a precursor and reflection of our entire P.T. Barnum ballyhoo civilization full of life and color, grotesqueries and attractions. The story is entertaining yet conveys reality, even poignancy, regarding the characters and their experience. A terrific, deceptively subtle tale. We hope you enjoy it.

We traipsed down the makeshift hallway that was petitioned off with dark curtain barriers. Twenty feet in and to the right was Lizard Man. He moved around in a tall Plexiglas box. Mounted high in a corner was a flood light, and on the floor I saw a food dish with slices of fruit in it.On the far side was a log inclined against a boulder. He moved around slowly in his lizard habitat. He wore green Spandex shorts and like I said, the rest of him was tattooed and covered in green lizard skin. He came crawling over and stopped in front of the girl. His eyes locked-in on her. His head made snappy jerks, left, right, up, down, and his tongue flicked the air. He played the part well.

<<<<>>>>

(Art: “Pip and Flip” by Reginald Marsh; “Mermaid” by Fred G. Johnson.)