Drabbles IV
Town Charter
It is mean of us, but we send our rainmaker to the village of sugar people, just to make a point. He casts no spells but informs them that he can: he has the power of rain, and our village could commission him to serve havoc on the sugar people. It is as much about our place as theirs. They have to know that with one council vote, would, could send that same rainmaker on an actual mission, have him set his wares up at town line and wriggle his way into their nightmares. But all we want is acknowledgement.
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Understanding Bondage
Jersey has a trained clown follow him about. The clown mostly diverts citizens’ attentions from whatever Jersey is doing. Every so often, he does something useful, like hold Jersey’s coat, or carry a package, or clear away the table after Jersey’s lunch. It may not meet town ordinance for there to be a clown tethered to Jersey, but perhaps the tether meets the letter of the law, and no one wants to argue the finer points of an ordinance. Instead, each day as Jersey makes his rounds, we focus on the clown, exchange observations. Is it always the same clown?
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When It Makes Sense
I told them not to stone the clown. He is but what nature made him. He cannot help but seek pancake make-up, grow adept at exploding cigars and water-emitting daisies. He is by design comfortable in balloon pants and size twenty-two shoes. That bulbous red nose we think would stunt his breathing, he has with method learned to let it better regulate oxygen. Consider: in other dimensions, on other worlds, you might be the clown, seeking your own to commit performance. The crowd goes thoughtful, opts for a lynching, instead. I wax silent, part owner of the rope concession.
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