Chapter 32 hope and desire

Paris, May 1891 The beaded curtains opened with a splash like rain, and it was Marco who stepped into the fortune-teller's den.Isobe immediately lifted the veil from his face, and the impossibly thin black silk rippled back like a mist. What are you doing here?she asked. Why didn't you tell me about this?He ignored her inquiry and handed out an open notebook.In the flickering light, Isobe made out a naked black tree.Unlike the trees he has depicted in so many volumes, this one is covered with white candles dripping with wax.Surrounding the main drawing are detailed sketches of twisted branches, captured from several different angles.

That's the wishing tree, Isobe said, and it's new. I know it's new, Marco said: Why didn't you tell me? I haven't had time to write to you yet, Isobe said: I'm not even sure if it's your own work, it looks like something you would make.Very flattering, the way that wishes are added one by one, is to use previously lit candles to light new candles, and then add them to the branches, and the old wishes will light the new wishes. That's her work.Marco said without much fuss, and pulled the notebook back. How can you be sure?Isobe asked. Marco paused, looking down at the sketch, upset and irritable because he couldn't vividly capture the beauty of that thing in the pattern he drew hastily.

I could feel it, he said: like knowing a storm was coming by the way the air was moving around me.I could feel it as soon as I entered the tent, and the closer I got to the tree, the stronger it became.For someone unfamiliar with this feeling, I'm not sure if it's perceptible. Do you think she could feel the same way about what you do?Isobe asked. Marco hadn't considered this before, but it seemed to be the case.Strangely enough, the thought actually gave him a sense of satisfaction. I have no idea.He only said so to Isobe. Isobe pushed back the veil that was about to slide down his face, back on the back of his head again.

Well, she said: now you know, it's up to you to do what you want with it. It didn't work that way, Marco said: I couldn't use what she made for my own purposes.The two parties must maintain their respective positions.If we were competing in a chess game, I couldn't just remove her pieces from the board at will.When she made a move, my only option was to use my pieces to retaliate and counterattack. But then there would be no ending, Isobe said: How could you get rid of the entire circus general?It doesn't make sense at all. It is different from a chess game.Marco said that he struggled to explain what he was finally coming to understand, although he was also unable to elaborate clearly.He caught a glimpse of a few cards still lying face up on her desk, and one in particular caught his attention.

like this.He said, pointing out that the woman with the scales and the sword had the inscription La Justice (French for justice) under her feet.It's like a scale: one side belongs to me, the other side belongs to her. A set of silver scales appeared, precariously balanced, between several cards, with diamonds piled high on each side, sparkling in the candlelight. So the goal is to tip the scales in your favor?Isobe asked. Marco nodded, and flipped through the pages of the notebook. He frequently turned back to the page with trees. However, if the two of you desperately add things to your side and repeatedly increase the weight on each side, Isobe looks at the gently shaking scale and says: Won't the scale break?

I don't think that comparison is accurate.Marco said that the scales disappeared with it. Isobe frowned at the empty space. How long will this situation last?she asked. I don't know.Marco said.Do you want to leave?Looking up at her, he added, not sure what response he wanted to get to the question. No, Isobe said: I don't want to leave.I love it here, really.But I also want to understand the whole thing.If I know better, I can help more. You've been very helpful, Marco said: Maybe the only advantage I have is that she doesn't know who I am.She can only respond to circuses, and I have your help keeping an eye on her.

But I didn't see any reaction, Isobe protested: she doesn't deal with people very much.She reads more than anyone I know, the Murray twins adore her, and she treats me well.I've never seen her do anything out of the ordinary, outside of acting time.You say she does these tricks, but I never saw her do anything.How do you know that tree is not Aiden.Works by Barris? Mr. Barris does create amazing mechanisms, but that's not what he does.She did touch up his carousel though, I'm pretty sure of that.I'm sure a man as talented as Mr. Barris couldn't make a painted griffin breathe.That tree is rooted in the ground, and even without leaves, it is a living tree.

Marco turned his attention back to his sketch, running his fingertips over the lines of the trees. Have you ever made a wish?Isobe asked quietly. Marco closed his notebook without answering. Does she still perform at the first quarter of an hour?he asked, taking his pocket watch out of his pocket. Yes, but you want to sit and watch her show live?Isobe asked: It is very difficult to squeeze twenty people into her tent, and she will notice you.Wouldn't she think it was weird if you were there? She wouldn't recognize me at all then.Marco said.The pocket watch disappeared from his hand.I would appreciate it if you would let me know whenever a new tent appears.

He turned and walked away, moving so fast that the movement in the air made the candle light quiver. I miss you.Isobe said as he left, but the clatter of the beaded curtain closing behind him overwhelmed her feelings. She pulled down the black mist-like veil to cover her face. After the last querent had left in the early hours of the morning, Isobe took the deck of Marseilles out of his pocket.She always carried this deck with her, but she used a different deck when she read the cards for the circus, a special edition that combined black and white and various shades of gray. She drew a card from the Marseilles deck and knew which one it was before she turned it over.The angel pattern on the front of the card only confirmed her original suspicion.She didn't insert it back into the deck.