Chapter 28 dream interpretation

October 1902 Concord, Massachusetts Bailey tried his best to urge the sun to go down all day long, but the sun ignored his thoughts and continued to cross the sky according to the original pace, neither fast nor slow. Bailey had never seriously thought about that pace before. But today I found that it was really slow.He almost wished he had to go to school today so that he would have something to help him pass the time.He considered taking a nap, but the sudden appearance of the circus made him too excited to fall asleep. Dinner passed as it had done for months, with long stretches of silence interrupted only by occasional attempts by Mother or Caroline to sigh.

Mother mentioned the circus, or more precisely, she mentioned the crowds the circus would draw. Bailey expected silence to fall again, but Caroline turned to him instead. Bailey, the last time the circus came, didn't we bet if you dared to sneak in?Her tone was curious and brisk, as if she didn't remember whether this kind of thing had happened. What?In broad daylight?mother asked. Um.Bailey said quietly, trying to summon back the uncomfortable silence with his thoughts. Bailey.Successfully calling him by his name was a disappointing admonition, said his mother.Bailey wasn't sure why it was his fault, he was the one being provoked, not the person responsible, but before he could protest, Caroline reacted first.

Ouch, he didn't go again.She said it was as if she finally recalled the incident clearly at this time. Bailey just shrugged. Well, I just hope he doesn't go.mother said. There was silence again.Bailey stared out the window, wondering what the hell the dusk was made of.Perhaps, he thought, it would be best to get to the gate early at the first sign of twilight, and wait if necessary.His feet tickled under the table, and he wondered how soon he would be able to escape. It took a long time to clean the table alone, and it took even longer to help my mother wash the dishes.Caroline went back to her room, and her father took out the newspaper.

Where are you going?asked his mother as he put on his scarf. I'm going to the circus.Bailey said. Don't come back too late, she said: You have work to do. Nope.Bailey said he was relieved that she had forgotten to specify a time, and that it was too late for him to interpret for himself. Take your sister too.she appends. The reason why Bailey knocked on the half-closed door first was because his mother would definitely stare at him to see if he had stopped in Caroline's room first, otherwise he would not let him out of the house. go away.said his sister. I'm going to the circus and see if you want to come with me.Bailey said in a dull tone.He knew long ago what her answer would be.

Never.She said it was as expected as the silence at dinner.So childish.She added, glaring at him with disdain. Bailey left without another word, letting the strong wind slam the front door shut for him. The sun was just beginning to set, and there were more people outside than usual at this time of day, all heading in the same direction. The excitement wears off as he strides forward.Maybe the behavior is childish, maybe the circus isn't what it used to be. When he arrived, crowds had already gathered in the fields.He was relieved to see that many guests were either of his age or much older than him, and only a few of them had children with them.A pair of girls around his age giggled and chuckled as he passed, trying to catch his eye.He couldn't decide if he should be flattered or not.

Bailey found his footing among the crowd.He waited, watching the closed bars, wondering if the circus might be different from what he remembered. He vaguely wondered if the red-haired girl in white might be somewhere inside. The low orange light of the setting sun sets everything on fire, including the circus itself, before the light dies completely.The moment from fire to twilight happened faster than Bailey expected, and then the lights of the circus flashed one by one, shining on all the tents.The crowd went oohs and aahs appropriately, but when the giant sign above the gate began to snap and flicker, several people ahead gasped in surprise.Bailey couldn't help but smile when the sign was fully lit up like a lighthouse: Dream Circus.

The days of waiting felt tedious and felt like years, but the line of people entering the circus moved extremely fast, and soon Bailey was standing at the ticket booth to buy a single entry ticket. He groped his way through the dark bends of the winding, star-strewn trail that seemed endless, anxiously anticipating the light at the end. The first thing that came to his mind as he walked into the bright atrium was that it smelled of smoke and caramel and something he couldn't identify. He wasn't sure where to start, there were so many tents to choose from.He thought maybe he should do a little shopping before deciding which tents to enter.

He was also thinking that just wandering around in the circus might increase his chances of running into a red-haired girl.But he refused to admit that he was looking for her.He had only seen that girl once a few years ago, and she was still in an extremely strange situation. It would be foolish to seek her now.And there was no reason to think she would remember him or recognize him, and for that matter, he wasn't quite sure he would recognize her. He decided to go into the circus first, across the courtyard where the campfire was set up, come out on the other side, and try to walk back slowly.Not a bad plan, the crowd on the far side might not be so crowded.

But, he thought, he should get a glass of spiced cider first.It didn't take him long to find the vendor in the atrium.He paid for a cup, and the steaming drink was contained in the marble-like whirlpool of black and white. At the moment before he took the first sip, he wondered if it would be as delicious as he remembered.He recalled that taste countless times in his mind, and despite the abundance of apples in this region, apple juice with or without spices tasted so delicious.He hesitated before taking a sip, but the spiced cider tasted even better than he remembered. He followed the path he had chosen, between the entrances of the surrounding tents, and a small group of people surrounded the raised platform.The woman standing on the platform is wearing a costume full of black and white swirls, which is extremely close-fitting.The way she twisted and bent her body looked both terrifying and graceful.Bailey pauses to join the audience, almost agonizing even just to watch.

The cartilage stuntman picked up a small silver metal ring from the ground and waved it in a few simple but eye-catching gestures.She passed the ring to the man at the front of the crowd, just to reassure everyone that it was something solid.When he handed her the ring back, she slipped her whole body through it, stretching her limbs in fluid, dancing movements. After she removed the ring, she placed a small box in the center of the platform. The length and breadth of the box appeared to be no more than a foot, but in reality it was slightly larger.The act of a grown woman (albeit smaller than average) squeezing herself into such a cramped space, regardless of the details of the box, is already convincing in itself, and this one, made of glass and completely transparent, is even more convincing oral.

The edge of the box is inlaid with metal oxidized to a slightly black tone, but the side panels and lid are clear glass, so when she bends, twists and folds her body into the tiny space, the audience can enjoy the whole process.She proceeded slowly, every subtle movement was part of the performance, and finally her body and head were completely enclosed in the box, leaving only one hand protruding from above.From Pele's point of view, it's unbelievable, a little leg here, a shoulder curvature there, part of the other arm under the foot. With only one hand waving happily, he pulled the lid and closed it.The spring lock is automatically locked, and the box is tightly closed, and the cartilage stuntman in it can see at a glance. Then the glass box that trapped the woman was slowly filled with white smoke.The smoke lingered in the tiny gaps and the space not occupied by the hands and feet, seeped out from between her fingers, and stuck tightly to the glass. The smoke grew thicker, completely obscuring the cartilage stuntman.Only white smoke could be seen inside the box, continuing to ripple along the glass. Suddenly, the box collapsed with a crackling sound.The glass side panels fell to the sides, and the lid collapsed downward.Coils of smoke rose slowly into the night sky, leaving the box (or rather the little pile of glass on the platform that had been a box) empty, and the cartilage stuntman gone. The crowd waited for a moment, but nothing happened.The last few wisps of smoke dissipated without a trace, and the crowd began to disperse. Did the cartilage stuntman manage to hide on the platform?Bailey took a closer look when he passed by, but it was not only solid wood, but also open underneath.Despite having nowhere to run, she vanished completely. Bailey continued down the winding path.After he drank the cider, he found the trash can and threw the glass away, but when he put the glass in the shadowy container, it seemed to disappear immediately. He walked on, reading signs as he went, trying to decide which tent to enter.Some signs are very large and decorated with cursive letters, providing a long description of the performance. But what caught his eye was a smaller sign, hanging outside an equally small tent, with circles of eerie white letters written on a pitch-black background. Exceptional Illusionary Technology The entrance opened, and a line of guests entered the illusionist's tent, Bailey joining them. The black iron candlesticks are arranged along the arc wall, emitting light. Apart from the rustic wooden chairs in a circle, there are no other things in the shed.Twenty or so chairs were arranged in two rows, staggered from each other, so that the views from each chair were equal.Bailey took the seat on the inner circle opposite the entrance. In the blink of an eye, the other chairs were filled, and only two remained: the one to his immediate left, and the one across the circle. Bailey noticed two things right away. First, he could no longer see where the entrance was supposed to be.The space where the spectators enter now appears as a solid wall that blends seamlessly with the rest of the tent. Then, a dark-haired woman in a black coat was sitting on his left.He was sure there was no sign of her before the door disappeared. Then the chair across the circle burst into flames, and he turned his attention away from these events. Everyone immediately panicked.Those closest to the flame chair hurriedly threw down their seats and rushed to the door, but found that there was no entrance and exit, only a solid wall remained. The flame rose steadily higher and higher, clinging to the chair, licking the wood, but the wood did not appear to be burning. Bailey looked again at the woman on the left, who blinked at him before standing up, then walked slowly towards the center of the circle.In the midst of this panic, she calmly unbuttoned and took off her coat, and flung it toward the burning chair with a delicate gesture. The original heavy woolen coat suddenly turned into a long piece of black silk, which rippled like flowing water when it fell onto the chair.The flames suddenly went out, leaving only a few traces of smoke, and the pungent smell of charred wood, which slowly turned into a reassuring fireplace aroma, faintly smelling like cinnamon or cloves. Standing in the center of the chair circle, the woman pulled back the black silk with fancy gestures, revealing the still unscathed chair, on which several snow-white pigeons were now perched. With another fancy gesture, the black silk folded and curled itself, transforming into a black top hat.The woman wears it on her head and finishes off with a matching garment that appears to be a ball gown fashioned from the night sky: black silk speckled with sparkling white crystals.She bowed slightly to the audience. The illusionist has entered. Several people, including Bailey, applauded, and those who had escaped from their seats returned to their chairs one by one, with curious expressions on their nervous expressions. The show went on, with each display coming together so fluidly that it was hard for Bailey to dismiss them as tricks.Pigeons often disappear, only to reappear atop hats or under chairs.There is also a big black crow, too big to be concealed skillfully.It wasn't until some time into the performance that Bailey slowly realized that because of the circle of chairs, the shape and the enclosure of the space, there was no room for mirrors and no illusion of light passing through.Everything is immediate and tactile.She even transformed a viewer's pocket watch from metal to sand and back again.At some point, all the chairs floated away from the ground, so steady and firm that Bailey's toes could barely sweep the ground, and he gripped the sides of the seats in a panic. The performance was coming to an end, and when the audience applauded, the illusionist bowed and spun around to greet the whole circle.By the time she made a full circle, she had disappeared into thin air.All that was left was the flickering glimmer of light left behind by the crystals on the gown. The door reappeared from the side of the tent, and the small audience went out.Bailey lagged behind, looking back frequently as he left where the illusionist had been. Outside the shed appeared another raised platform that didn't exist, very similar to the one the cartilage stuntman was standing on.But the figure on the platform is not moving.Bailey almost thought it was a statue, in a white dress trimmed with matching fur, cascading over the platform to the ground.Her hair and skin were as white as ice, even her eyelashes. But there was movement in her, extremely, extremely slow, so slow that Bailey couldn't see the exact movement, just subtle changes.Soft, iridescent snowflakes fell slowly to the ground, falling from her like dead leaves from a tree. Bailey walked around, watching her from every angle.Her eyes followed him, but her snow-stained eyelashes did not blink. There is a small silver plaque on the platform, partially covered by the flowing dress. It said condolences, but did not specify who it was for.