Chapter 34 dreamer

1891-1892 Frederick.Mr. Dyson received a card in the stack of mail, and the plain envelope was sandwiched between his invoices and business correspondence.There is no letter paper or note in the envelope, only black and white double-sided cards.On the black front was printed in silver letters: Circus Fantasy, and on the white back was written in black ink: September 29 Just outside Dresden in Saxony Mr. Dyson was delighted.He made arrangements with the client to complete the watch he was making in record time and rented a short-term apartment in Dresden. He arrived in Dresden on September 28, and spent all day wandering around the outskirts of the city, wondering where the circus might be camped.There was no sign of its imminent appearance, only a faint electric current in the air; but Mr. Dyson was not sure whether anyone but himself could sense it.He was honored to be notified in advance.

On September 29th, he expected to stay up late that night, so he got up later than usual.He left the apartment after noon and went out to look for food, and the news had already spread through the streets and alleys: just to the west of the city, a strange circus appeared overnight.It was a gigantic, striped tent, and when he arrived at the bar, there was such a buzz about it, the likes of which had never been seen before.Regarding this matter, Mr. Dyson was silent, enjoying the excitement and curiosity all around him. Before sunset, Mr. Dyson walked west, and found the circus easily, because a large crowd had already gathered outside.He waited with the crowd, wondering how the circus could be set up so quickly.Although the circus looked like it had always been here, he was sure that the field where the circus was now was still empty when he walked around the city yesterday.The circus was created out of nothing.It was almost like magic, Mr. Dyson heard someone say, and he had to agree.

The gate is finally open, Frederick.Mr. Dyson had the feeling of returning home after a prolonged absence. He spent time there almost every night, and during the day he either sat in the rented apartment or went to the bar to order a drink and write about the circus in his diary.I wrote pages full of observations, detailing my own personal experience, mainly to avoid forgetting, but also to capture a little bit of the circus on paper so that I can master it. Occasionally he would talk about the circus with the bar-goers.Among them was an editor of the city newspaper, who encouraged Frederick to show him the diary, with a good tongue and a few glasses of rice wine.After a shot or two of bourbon, he persuaded Frederick to let him publish an excerpt from the journal.

Although the circus left Dresden at the end of October, the editor of the newspaper kept his word. That article got rave reviews, and then another, and then another. Mr. Dyson continued to write, and during the next few months several articles were reprinted in German newspapers and finally translated and published in Swedish, Danish and French newspapers.An article was being prepared for publication in a London paper under the headline An Evening at the Circus. It is these articles that make Frederick.Mr. Dyson became the unofficial leader and head of the circus' ardent followers. Some people were introduced to the fantastic circus for the first time through his articles, and others read him because he experienced the circus in the same way they did (all thought it was amazing and incomparable), and immediately met with him. He has a sense of connection and empathy.

Some people tried to find him, and the following gatherings and dinners heralded the formation of some kind of club, the club of lovers of the circus. The title of Dreamer started out as a joke, but it stuck because it was just right. Mr. Dyson loved gatherings like this, with like-minded people from all over Europe and occasionally from further afield, and the circus couldn't stop talking about it.He transcribed the stories of other dreamers and added them to his writing.He built them little memorial clocks, describing their favorite episodes or shows (one of his marvelous creations, a miniature trapeze dangling from a ribbon, was a tribute to a visiting circus troupe). made by a young woman who spends most of her time staring up in a giant tent).

He even inadvertently set a fashion trend among dreamers.He commented at a dinner in Munich (several dinners are held near his home, but also in London, Paris, and countless other cities): He likes to wear a black coat to the circus, so that he can blend in with his surroundings and make himself feel Belongs to the circus.However, it is paired with a bright crimson scarf to distinguish myself from the circus and remind myself that I am essentially a spectator and a bystander. In such a circle of handpicked members, news travels fast, and the tradition begins with a trip to the circus dreamers, dressed in black, white and gray, with a splash of red: a scarf or a hat.If the weather is warm, stick a red rose in your lapel or behind your ear.This attire also helps spot other dreamers, and is a simple signal to those in the know.

The well-to-do followed the circus, and even the less well-to-do followed in creative ways.The circus does not announce a fixed itinerary to the public in advance, and the circus moves every few weeks, occasionally with a longer period of closure, until the tent is in a city field or country, or somewhere in between. Until it's built, no one really knows where it's going to show up. But there are a select few dreamers who are familiar with the circus and its ways. These people have developed a shallow friendship with the people in the circus, so they can be notified of where the circus is about to arrive, and they will pass on the news. Members from other countries and other cities.

The most commonly used methods are low-key and ingenious, some in person, some through emails. They send cards.Small square cards similar to postcards, with different designs, but always black and white.Some use existing postcards, others choose to make their own, and the cards are succinct: The circus is coming Then list a place.Sometimes there are dates, but not always.The movement of the circus is presented not in precise details, but in general terms.Mere notice and location are often enough. Most dreamers have a base, preferring to avoid long-distance travel.Dreamers who call Canada home may be reluctant to travel as far as Russia, but can easily go to Boston or Chicago, while those in Morocco may travel to numerous destinations in Europe, but may not make the long journey to China or Japan .

Some, however, follow the circus wherever it goes, whether through money, luck, or the generosity of other dreamers.But they were all dreamers, each playing that role in his own way, even if the people who could only be visited when the circus arrived and not followed.They smile when they catch glimpses of each other.As they waited impatiently for the sun to set, they would first meet at the local bar for drinks and chat. It is these fanatics, these dreamers, who can see the details in the big picture of the circus.They'll see the subtleties in the costumes and the intricacies of the signage outside the booth.They bought sugar flowers but didn't eat them. Instead, they wrapped them in paper and took them home carefully.They are enthusiasts, advocates, addicts.Something in the circus stirred their souls, and when it wasn't there they longed to the point of heartache.

They seek out each other, people who also share this particular preference.They talked about how they first discovered the circus, how the first few steps were like magic, like stepping into a fairy tale world under the curtain of stars.They talked pompously about how fluffy the popcorn was and how sweet the chocolate was, and they spent hours discussing the texture of the light and the heat of the campfire.They sit with drinks in their hands, smile like children, savoring the feeling of being surrounded by friends, even if it's just for one night.Even though they've only met each other for a while, they leave with a handshake and hug like old friends; when they go their separate ways, they feel less alone.

The circus knows their existence and is grateful for them.When people in black coats and red scarves approached the ticket booths, the conductors often waved them through without charging an entry fee, or offered them a glass of apple juice or a bag of popcorn for free.Performers who spot them in the audience will pull out their specialties.There are dreamers who roam the circus incessantly, methodically visiting every shed and every show.Others have favorite spots and almost linger there, choosing to spend their evenings in the zoo or the Hall of Mirrors.They're the ones who stay the last, lingering through the wee hours of the morning, when most of the visitors have left, looking for the embrace of their beds. As is often the case, before dawn, there is no color to be seen in the fantastic circuses except for a tiny gleam of crimson on them. Mr. Dyson received dozens of letters from the dreamers, and answered them all himself.Some just send this one, content with a single reply, while others develop into long-term correspondence that amounts to an ongoing conversation. Today he is responding to a letter that reads particularly charmingly, in which the author writes about circuses with astonishing delicacy.The tone of the letter is more personal than the others, not only expressing in-depth thoughts on his article, but also offering observations on his Wunschuaum clock, which the author must have spent several hours observing to reach such a detailed point.After he read the letter back and forth three times, he sat down at the table and began to reply. Postmarked from New York, but he couldn't recognize who signed it, and the handwriting didn't belong to a dreamer he'd met once in that or any city. Dear Miss Bowen, he began. He looked forward to the next reply.