Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "A couple times? It's on before GI Joe, so I mostly see the end of it."

But Shawn wasn't going to let himself be distracted by things like that. "What happened to Eddy?" The words came out in a rush.

"Ya' ran a series of cards in a certain order, ya' did. It ain't somethin' that hasn't been done before. But if you run that card trick to many times, you'll run that combination. Ace, Ace, Queen, Queen, King. Ya' have to run that combination with diamonds and hearts.  The person's got to be willin' too." Griffix said in his Irish brogue.

"And well, that's exactly what ya' did do, didn't ya'? Now poor Eddy's been sent to a place on the other side of the Veil far away. Or, I'd say, his soul's been sent away. Err... would ya' rather have me say You sent it away? Way, way far away. Nowhere near the Circus. Out past the Krinner."

"We don't go out past there. No one does."

"You didn't tell me that's how it works. You told me it'd make people like me more, but all it did was make them zone out for a bit." Shawn tried to stay polite, as if he was simply curious, hiding the accusatory feelings he was feeling.

"Don't be so hard on yourself lad." Griffix said, putting his small, leprechaun hand on Shawn's shoulder. "You've only been doin' the trick for short while. These things take time to practice. The kids like it though, right?"

"If they like it, then they like you. That's all part 'n parcel of being liked.  "You need to fine tune things-is all. And might I add, that practice makes perfect. Ya' have been practicin' haven't ya? I mean, alone n' such. Not just on kids like Eddy."

"These tricks from the Order 'r hundreds of years old. Maybe older. That kind of art takes time to master. You'll get there yet, though. I dunna doubt it for a second." Griffix explained, the glow of the television on his face in the dark room.

"Can I use it to bring a soul back?"

Griffix shook his head, his shaggy hair moving side to side in a vaguely dog-like manner. His arm withdrew from Shawn's shoulder.

"Maybe." He offered, not closing the door on the possibility. "But I'v got ta' say, I never seen such a thing used to bring'a lad back from past the Krinner. Ain't a soul in the Underworld beyond the veil that's ventured that far. Sort-of at the rubbish end of the world. In fact, it's a fine thing ya' know that it's called that down there: The End of the Word. Or the 'Edge of the World.' In a matter 'r' knowin' that for us down there, that's the very edge."


"The point I'mm'a tryin' ta' make lad, is that ya' got bigger fish ta' fry. We've got a soul contest ta' win. If ya' don't win that, there ain't nothin' worth nothin.' Ya' got to save yourself before ya' go runnin' off ta' save others."

"And part-o' the reason why I'm here, is ta' tell ya' that we need ta' send a message ta' the Clown troupe. They attacked one of our own. Although ya' find yourself as a junior member of that Order of Sybil, ya' do. Ya' still a member, ya' are. So for that, we canna not let it go unanswered."

Whatever Shawn’s thoughts were on Eddy’s situation were utterly derailed by the idea of a reprisal against the Clowns. “I’m not sure how I could help with that. It’s not like I can fight them.”

A look of dismay formed on Griffix's face behind the veil of shaggy bangs. His eyebrows drew up and his mouth opened in worry.

"Don't a-bee sayin' that lad. PLEASE!" he said, and his voice broke the silence of the house, suddenly much, much louder than the cartoon was.

"We was told ta' do it. If you ain't gonna do it...then...then.." He trailed off shaking his head as if worried by the possibility. "You donna-understand the pain that she can put on us." He finished.

He started up again, this time with serious, somber tone, like he was sharing a valuable lesson. It was the kind of voice an older brother might take on when explaining how a crazy relative acted to a younger child.


"A long, long time ago, I was a happier version of Griffix when I was first entered into the Order. A man who spent his days whistlin' duets with Acrobats before that all came to n' end. A dutiful worker, I'da brush me teeth twice a day."

"When I told the Fortune Teller I wouldn't sabotage the Acrobat's trampoline...somethin' funny happened."

"For whatever reason, one of ma' back teeth broke in half the next day. Wouldya' believe the cause turned out to be a hidden cavity that I didn’t know was there. So it was off to the dentist - The Master Maker."

"Although the pain of the broken tooth stayed on hard n' fast, I didda not let it distract me from me divine mission of tryin' to learn the tricks of the trade for our Order and I dedicated me time with cards and magic. I chatted up the Freak Show tent and even talked to the Clowns on occasion."

"Little did I know what horrors awaited me..lad. Little did I know..."

"After the Master Maker sucked out every spare bit of moisture from me gums, n' a rather violent clean', I was reclinin' in his tent chair, hummin' to myself. My hums, grew quieter as the choked and tortured screams started reaching me eardrums. I started becomin' nervous and almost jumped out of me skin when a Clown dressed in a strange costume with blood on his gloves started walkin' towards me. I’ll never forgot the fell words he spoke to me:"

"Hello, Griffix, this won’t hurt nay a bit."

I managed to swallow, which mind ya' was a minor miracle in and of itself, considerin' me mouth was still as dry as dead river. An then, I surrendered myself ta' the ministrations of that possible serial killer."

"The first rusty needle was small, and carried somethin' I later heard they got from Crowley's shed. So far so good, I thought."

"The second needle...Well....that one was slightly larger and carried a stronger painkiller. Uncomfortable, but bearable."

"Then came the third needle. Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! It was it huge. It was so wide, I could barely see the maniac’s face on the other side. He lowered the monstrosity into me mouth and jammin'-it into me gums!"

"Shawn.... I swear. Sudden, overwhelmin' pain. I could feel everythin' as it slowly moved down me gums into me roots. All I could do was whimper n' agony as the first two needles proved completely useless. It lasted n' eternity: inch by painstakin' inch, until it finally reached its destination. By that point, I was almost weepin' in pain, but I donna-think that the Clown could hear me over his maniacal laughter. He injected it and slowly pushed it in, ignorin' my squalls. And then came the part that I remember most of all:

"Me mouth flooded with me own blood. I could feel it spurtin' from the wound, coatin' the inside with a layer of it. I donna remember the rest of the operation very well, since my the entire right side of me face went numb, but I will forever remember the agony I endured at the hands of the Master Maker's dentist. An all of it because I refused ta' do a job. No one told me that I shouldn't say no to her."

"Since that injection, I've been turnin' into a wolf more n' more. And I get hungry every time the Circus comes back to open."

He looked Shawn in the eye.

"Don't refuse it. Donna-make the same mistake I made. Some decisions once done, can never be changed."

Shawn raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture; the specifics were gruesome, but he'd always assumed defying the Order would come with terrible consequences. "No no no, I'm not refusing. I'm just...when she told you to sabotage the trampoline, it was something you could do, right? I was just hoping the Fortuneteller understands that I'm little and I don't know how to fight when she picks my job, is all."

"We're in a tough spot lad. A tough spot no doubt. We take a risk against the Clowns, then they might get us or even worse...."

"'Tis true. If we do nothin' we'd suffer too."

"I used ta' think it was a terrible thing. But you'd be surprised what you'd get used to. Each time the Circus comes back, I do feel I get more used to. But mind ya', that ain't the same thing as sayin' it gets easier."

Griffix took out his corn-cob pipe an stuck it in the side of his mouth, a gesture indicating he was thinking things over.

"We'll, we can start with a simple decision: Mr. Pipples or Gaggles. There. I put it out in the open for ya'. Pick one. When the cards on the table, its easier to play."

Shawn scratched his chin as he tried to hide his fear. "Gaggles, I guess? Since I know her better."

"Good." Griffix said. "That means ya' got to use the Rabbit's foot ya' do. Think of Gaggles before ya' go ahead and come down to the Underworld of the Circus lad. It should drop ya' right next to where she is, wherever she is. Then, you've got ta' find a way to take that Clown nose off."

"Once-er Clown nose has been taken off. Poof! Dead until the next time the Circus comes around!" He said triumphantly in the near darkness.

Griffix was speaking as if the whole thing was so simple to achieve.

“Umm, if I just show up in front of Gaggles, she’s going to stab me to death. Uh, immediately. Last time I talked to her, I tricked her pretty bad.” Shawn tried to sound calm, like he was just hoping for points of clarification in an otherwise solid plan. Trying hide his rising panic.

It was supposed to happen. There was supposed to be some sort of revelation or a strategy that would at least provide some kind of guideline that would assure success without getting massacred...or worse.

Griffix just shrugged in response to the growing possibility that death at Gaggle's hands was near certain.

"Maybe...maybe try it during the day, when she sleeps?" He asked, the intonation of his voice drawn out into a question.

That was it. That was all the advice or strategy that was offered.

"We're just...in a bit of a spot lad. A bit of a spot indeed."

"C'mon, there's got to be, like, a magic spell or a sleeping potion, or an enchanted dagger or something, right? Isn't that what the Order of Sybil does?" Cracks were starting to show Shawn's calm facade.

"I'mma tryin' ta' keep it a simple as possible lad. A young member of the Order like you might not be wantin' ta' get as involved in these sorts of things, ya see?"

"Now donna-be thinkin' that the Order don't have those things, because as you've probably guessed and seen: it does. But I've got ta' be as honest as I can to ya' now that ya' find yourself in deep with us. You and I both know at this point that ya' aren't the most devilish type. Far from it. Its not like your bitin' at the bit ta' go out and do evil things for the Order or the Circus."

"No shame in hidin' it. That's how I felt too the first fifty years of me own existence in this outfit. The point I'm tryin' ta' make lad, and one you've probably already figured out, is that there ain't no help that doesn't come with a price or an unwanted side affect. And usually that side affect is bad. And the price is often doin' somethin' bad or havin' somethin' bad done. Wish it were some other way, but suppose that's what it is ta' be cursed."

As soon as the word came out it seemed to resonate in that small room.

'Cursed.'

Giffix unbuttoned his child-sized suit jacket and extended one side outward, his arm now showing the inside of the coat like a salesman selling stolen watches in New York City. There were different sized pockets stitched into the inside of Griffix's coat. The heads of small glass bottles poked out. Some were made of green glass, others tinted with a pinkish-hue.

"Malinda made these for me. For these sort of jobs. Each one does somethin' different. This one, well...it'll make ya' invisible for a short while." Griffix said, touching the pink glass at the end where the cork was stuffed into the small bottle.

"This one will change the person who drinks it into a rat." Griffix said, though Shawn couldn't tell which bottle he was pointing at.

"This one shrinks someone." he touched a blue-tinted bottle with dark liquid inside.

"This one. Well, there's a nasty spider in there. One bite will paralyze a person." Griffix said, pointing to a transparent bottle, the base of which was still tucked into his coat pocket.

"Don't ask what the side affects are lad." Griffix sighed. "'Cause I don't have a clue with me own noggin' what would happen if ya' used any of these. The Fortune Teller is really a witch. A dead witch. A skeleton witch. She borrows from somewhere in the Underworld the ingredients n' magic that makes these things. Who know what'er aim is and what those spirits'll do ta' anyone that takes of their potions."

Shawn scratched his head, already trying to think of ways to weasel out of the terrible side effects. "So is the curse for the person who opens the bottles, the person who drinks the potion, or what?"

"No." Griffix said, shaking his head.

"The curse is you."

"You're cursed. That's what it means ta' get involved in the Circus, lad. It was a surprise ta' me 'til I thought about it, I did."

"I let the Circus in. Little by little. By the bad tings I did. 'Tis how it found me."

"How did it find you?"

"Gaggles tried to kill me. And she killed Mr. Sellick." It was amazing, but everything he'd been through since then had dulled the terror he'd felt about that night. He wondered how he'd react if the same thing happened again.

"No." Griffix said in dismissal of Shawn's answer. He clearly didn't agree and the way he shook his head indicated that he felt Shawn had missed the point of the question.

"No, no, no." He reiterated.

"'Twas the first time the Circus came into ya' world. But it ain't what brought the Circus ta' ya' doorstep, lad. The Underworld is attracted ta' what isn't right in the world. And most of all, what ain't right with kids. We need kids ta' open in our current form as a Circus show."

"So ya' must'ev done something. And more than likely somethin' over and over again ta' bring the Circus forth into the life ya' call home."

"What that is, I cannot say. Only ya' own self knows it ya' do. I'm sure if ya' think 'bout it, an answer will come ta' mind. Gaggles comin' into ya' world is only part of the story, but it ain't the beginnin' of the book."

Shawn felt increasingly nervous at this comment. Was Griffix saying all of this, all of the Circus in his life was the result of something he did? "Are you saying it's something I did that brought Gaggles to me?"

"Ya' entered into it lad." Griffix nodded. "Ya' did somethin'. Maybe without knowin' what ya' did. But ya' did it enough to bring it ta' the attention of the Circus, ya' did. And once ya' got it's attention, with the Circus lookin' ta' open...."

"Well...I'm sure it was like a hungry dog lookin' for a bone. And you yourself...kinda' wavin' the bone around sayin' 'Here I am.'"

"It's like this lade: The Circus don't just pop out and visit no one for no reason. Sure, it might go after those near a person in a spot. But usually, we got our targets n' such. There's might one of ya' who brings it upon ta' others by being' near. The question ya' got ta' ask yourself is?"

"What bad things ya' done over n' over again might have attracted us?"

Shawn did ask himself the question, and on some level, he knew the answer; lying. He had lied over and over and over again; to his parents, to his friends, to the people he worked with. But he didn't want to confront it...and maybe he didn't have to. "But now that its happened, right, there's nothing I can do to undo it?"

In the moments before he asked the question, Shawn stood there in contemplation as Griffix bit down on the edge of the corn-cob pipe, fixing him with a curious stare.
When Shawn asked about the future and if anything could be done about it, Griffix shook off the question with a wave of his hand.

"Bah!" He dismissed. "There might be lad. I've seen enough to be surprised in my hundred n' fifty-so years with the Circus, so I wouldn't be one ta' close a door on what 'tis possible. But now ain't the time ta' discuss 'neer think 'bout such 'tings."

He leaned forward to emphasize his point.

"The soul contest lad. I may look small, but I ain't a kid in my mind no more. I may talk funny ta' ya'. But I ain't all dance n' sunshine."

"I mean it when I say that we've got ta' stay focused. Stay focused on the task at hand."

"The Soul Contest is real lad. It's real enough ta' send ya' to slavery under the Clown troupe. Or worse, ta' the depths of the Proprietor's well. So let's stay focused on that. That'll be enough I reckon' ta' get us through many a night until we both have time ta' dither on other 'tings." 

Shawn tried to shake off the gloomy thoughts that were beginning to wear on him and focus on the task in front of him. Griffix was right, he needed to focus. "So...the curse you were talking about, for using the potions. It's already on me? So it won't make a difference if I use them?"