Chapter 43 In memory of Tara.Burgess

Glasgow, April 1895 Although there were many mourners present, the whole funeral was quiet and low-key.No sobbing or waving handkerchiefs, just a sea of ​​traditional black mourning, scattered with dots of color.Even the drizzle could not push the atmosphere of the funeral into a desperate situation, but instead resided in a melancholy space full of thoughts. Perhaps because one of the sisters is still alive and sitting in the scene well, everyone seems to have a kind of Tara.Burgess didn't feel completely dead.One half of the twin sisters is still alive and full of life. Meanwhile, everyone who casts their eyes on the surviving sister sees that something is very wrong, but cannot tell what or what is out of balance.

Occasionally a tear would roll down her cheek, but Leni.Burgess greeted each mourner with a smile and thanked them for coming.She joked that if Tara hadn't been lying in the waxed wooden coffin, she would have made some wisecracks.No other family members were present, but stranger friends guessed that the white-haired woman and bespectacled man who rarely left Leni's side were their mother and husband.Although they made a mistake, Mrs. Padwa and Mr. Barris didn't care about the mistake. The venue was filled with countless roses, red roses, white roses and pink roses.There was even a single black rose among the flowers, but no one knew where it came from.Chandrash took credit for the supply of white flowers only to himself, and pinned one to his lapel, which he fiddled with absentmindedly throughout the ceremony.

When Leni spoke of her sisters, the audience frequently responded to her words with sighs, laughter, and sad smiles. I don't intend to mourn the loss of my sister, she will always be with me, in my heart, she said: "However, it annoys me that my Tara left me alone to suffer alone.Without her, I don't see things as clearly as I used to.Without her, I don't hear things as clearly as I used to.Without her, I wouldn't be as sensitive to things as I used to be.I'd rather lose a hand or a leg than lose my sister, and at least she'll be here laughing at how miserable I look, and it'll be her turn to say she's the prettier of the sisters at last.We all lost our Tara, but I also lost a part of myself.

There was a performer in the cemetery that even some of the mourners who weren't part of the fantastic circus could recognize, a woman who was dressed from head to toe in snow white, and added a pair of wings to her costume.The long wings draped down from her back, fluttering gently in the breeze, but she remained as still as a stone.Many onlookers seemed surprised by her presence, but they followed suit when they saw Leni's joyful reaction to the living angel standing over her sister's grave. They were, after all, the Burgess sisters, the founders of this tradition of living statues in the circus.Performers, clad in elaborate costumes and painted skin, stand on temporary platforms erected in floating spaces between tents.If watched for hours on end, the performers sometimes change poses entirely, but the movements are painfully slow, so slow that many onlookers insist they are finely crafted automatons rather than actual humans.

The circus had several such performers, the star-studded Empress of the Night, and the Black Pirate, as dark as coal, looking down at Tara.Burgess's is often called the Snow Queen. There was a soft sniffling sound as the coffin lowered into the ground, but it was hard to pinpoint where it came from, or perhaps it was a collective sound combining sighs, wind, and moving feet. The rain gradually intensified, and the opened umbrellas seemed like mushrooms emerging from among the tombs.The damp dust quickly turned to mud, and the rest of the burial was hastily done to suit the weather. The ceremony ends gradually and without a problem, rather than in a rigid manner.Mourners gradually left the neatly organized procession and merged into the crowd, without a clear moment marking the transition.Many lingered to extend further condolences to Lainey, though some moved away before the last shovel of dirt settled to escape the rain.

Isobe and Yuezi stood shoulder to shoulder, some distance away from Tara's grave, and Isobe held a large black umbrella over their heads with his black-gloved hands.Although Yuezi insisted that she didn't care about the rain, Isobe was grateful for having a companion by her side and still covered her up. how did she dieYuezi asked.All afternoon, the others asked the same question in low voices and whispers, but got different answers, few of which were satisfactory, and those who knew the details were reluctant to speak out. Someone told me it was an accident, and Isobe said quietly: She was hit by a train.

Yuezi nodded thoughtfully, and pulled out a silver pipe and a set of lighters from her jacket pocket. What was her real cause of death?she asked. What do you mean?Isobe said he looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear, but most of the mourners had dispersed into the rain and went their separate ways.Only a handful of people stayed where they were, including Celia.Bowen and Bobbi clutching her gown.Maury, the girl's frown seemed to show anger rather than sadness. Lainey and Mr. Barris stood beside Tara's grave; the angel hovered above, close enough to lay his hands on their heads.

You've seen things that go against your beliefs, haven't you?Yuezi asked. Isobe nodded. Do you feel that those things would be harder for you if you were not a part of it?Maybe it will be so serious that it will drive people crazy?The mind is, after all, a sensitive thing. I don't think she walked to the front of the train on purpose.Isobe said, keep the volume down as much as possible. Maybe not, Yuezi said: At least I think there is such a possibility.She started to light the cigarette, and despite the humidity in the air, the flame ignited easily. It may have been an accident.Isobe said.

Have you had any accidents yourself lately?Are there any broken bones, burns or injuries?Yuezi asked. No.Isobe said. Have you been sick recently?Even the slightest stuffy nose? No.Isobe racked her brains to recall the last time she had a slight illness. She could only think of a cold ten years ago, the winter before she met Marco. I'm sure none of us has had a problem since the circus started, said confinement: no one has died until now, and no one has been born since the Murray twins.However, looking at the way some stuntmen are so actively trying to increase production, it doesn't mean that they lack hard work.

I, Isobe, spoke but was unable to finish.There were so many things to understand that she wasn't sure she wanted to figure it out. We are like fish in a tank, my dear, Yuezi told her, the pipe dangling precariously between his lips, is a closely monitored fish.Being observed from all angles, it wouldn't be an accident if one of us floated to the surface.And if it was an accident, then I worry that the people in charge of watching are not as careful as they should be. Isobe remained silent.She wished Marco had accompanied Chandrash, but even if he had offered to talk to her, she doubted he would have answered any of her questions.Her private divination results on this matter were complicated every time, but there was always strong emotion on his side.She knew he cared about the circus, and she had never had any reason to doubt that.

Have you ever divined someone who didn't understand what you were dealing with, and even after a short chat with the person and a look at the picture on a card, you knew it right away?Yuezi asked. Yes, I have.Isobe said.She has met this kind of person hundreds of times, they are just querents who can't see the truth of the matter.No matter how nicely she tries to explain it, the querent turns a blind eye to betrayal and heartbreak, and is stubborn to the end. When you are deeply involved in the authorities, it is difficult to see the situation clearly, Yuezi said: too familiar, too comfortable.Yuezi paused.Coils of cigarette smoke slipped between the raindrops, coiled around his head, and rose into the moist air. Perhaps the late Miss Burgess was near the edge, close enough to see things differently.she says. Isobe frowned and looked back at Tara's grave.Laney and Mr. Barris had turned and walked away slowly, his arm on her shoulder. Have you ever been in love, Yue'er?Isobe asked. Yuezi exhaled slowly, her shoulders stiffened.Isobe thought for a moment that the other party would ignore the question, but she didn't expect her to answer it. I've had relationships that lasted decades, and affairs that lasted hours.I have loved princesses and peasants, and I think they each loved me in their own way. This is a typical reaction of Yuezi, that is, the style of not answering questions.Isobe did not continue to inquire. The circus was about to fall apart, Yuezi said after a long delay: the cracks had already begun to show, and sooner or later it would collapse.She paused, and took the last puff of her cigarette, will you continue to intervene? Yes, Isobe said: but I don't think it will help. The effect of this sort of thing is hard to see, you know.After all, your point of view comes from within, and the smallest spell can have the greatest effect. It doesn't seem to be very effective. Perhaps it is more used to control internal chaos than external chaos. Isobe didn't answer.Yuezi shrugged and said no more. After a while, the two turned and left together without discussing. The snow-white angel was left alone, in Tara.Burgess lingers over the grave just filled, holding a black rose in her hand. She doesn't move, she doesn't even blink her eyelashes, her powdered face continues to freeze in sadness. The growing rain ripped off the scattered feathers from her wings, and the feathers swirled all over the sky, and finally fell into the mud below.