𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖙𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖊 ⋆ newt scamander

the chapter before first

The child, no older than six years old, approached the circus tent with a smile so full of glee that it caught to his siblings in no time. He waved his hand at the glittering, brightly-lit sign above a curtained entrance, tugging on his mother's hand harshly to capture her attention.

"In there," he demanded. A large candy in his mouth partially obscured his words, but his mother understood

Madame Cora's Creature Curiosities brought in more guests than any other sideshow attraction in the fair. The black fabric of the tent caught their attention and pulled them into it's inky depths, where Madame Cora herself awaited them. A thin, intricately decorated stick in her hand and a beautiful, glittering dress in the colour of sunrise would have been enough to entrance them, if the magic weren't so real. With a wave of the stick, iridescent creatures soared over their heads, bounded under their seats, or purred at their laps. Seated in a circle around her with no light in the tent except for the reflective beads covering the magician's body and the glowing beasts themselves, the entire thing enraptured audiences. Word of the Sideshow Sorceress spread far and wide, with crowds flocking to New York just to catch a glimpse of the woman's wonderful light show.

An early December eve in 1926 brought the Barebone family to the fair. Not used to the pleasures most found so simple, the three children were, as most were on their first venture into the park, captivated by all the different sights and sounds and smells. Their mother Mary Lou, a time-disciplined woman, gave them cause to ignore the beauty of the place as she strode towards their destination with a determination not many saw within women in those years. The children, two girls and a boy, trailed behind her, drinking in the wonderment with all their senses.

They finally reached the midnight-coloured tent. Mary Lou stepped into the long line and folded her arms. The three children stood beside her, the two girls closer to their mother and the boy further away, staring at the toes of his shoes and trying to ignore everybody around him. People began flooding out of Madame Cora's tent, chattering dreamily about their experience. Mary Lou ground her teeth together and set her face with blank expression. The queue moved up, spectators shuffling through the thick curtain into the tent. The Barebones were hit with a sickly sweet scent, the smell of toffee apples and caramelised sugar and royally iced cookies.

Another ten minute wait, and they were allowed to enter. Mary Lou positioned them in the front row of seats, parallel to the entrance. The woman claiming to be 'mystic' was standing on a raised platform in the centre of the room. She wore a long evening gown covered with glittering emerald beads and a necklace with a silver pendant. The dark shawl between her elbows, when it caught the light, threw off hues of blue and green and silver. People gave the strange-looking family a glance as they filed into the tent, but nobody said anything.

Finally, the curtain over the door fell and they were plunged into darkness. There were whispers between spectators until a tiny, almost invisible puff of glowing smoke appeared in the centre of the room. The tent fell silent. Another puff of smoke. A small child began to giggle joyously. Then, a rabbit appeared where the woman had previously stood. It was milky white and translucent, giving it a ghostly appearance. Mary Loud drew in a short, sharp breath and sat up a little straighter. Her son could barely draw his eyes away from the spectacle before them, but did so for a split second to see her pressing her fingernails into her palm so deep she was drawing blood.

"Good evening, my dears." The voice, female and sultry, echoed bodiless through the room. The accent wasn't American, but her impression was so good that nobody noticed. Either that, or the creature she had created distracted them well enough. "You are all thinking that you brought yourselves here tonight, that you saw an advertisement in the newspaper or heard a coworker telling a friend and decided to chance a visit. But you are wrong. Fate brought you here, my friends. Fate, and a little bit of magic."