Nightmare Alley Page #10

All aboard.!

Get aboard, honey.

Don't miss the train.

Stan!

Take care of yourself.

Who is it?

Joe. Bellboy.

- Pick up the tray.

- Come in.

- Something wrong?

- What do you mean "something wrong"?

- The food... you haven't touched it.

- Well, I'm not hungry.

Hey, uh, look, mister,

it ain't none of my business...

but we got a pretty good doctor

down the street there.

- You want me to call him?

- What makes you think I want a doctor?

Nothing. Only, you haven't touched a mouthful

in about three days. I just...

Well, I don't want a doctor

and I'm all right.

Say, uh, you know

where I can get a drink?

No, not at this hour in this state,

unless you want gin.

Sure, sure.

Anything. Anything.

Two bucks.

- If there's anything else you want...

- No. Good night.

Since the dawn of history,

man has sought to see behind the veil...

which hides him from tomorrow.

Through the ages, certain men

have gazed into the polished crystal...

and seen.

Is it some quality

of the crystal itself...

or does it merely serve

to turn the gazer's vision inward?

Who can tell?

But visions come,

slowly shifting their form.

Visions come.

Wait.

The shifting shapes begin to clear.

I see fields of grass...

and rolling hills and a boy.

A barefoot boy

is running through those hills.

A dog is with him.

A dog is with him.

Yeah, his name is Don.

Go on.

Your mother.

Your mother is waiting at the gate for you.

A beautiful, gray-haired old lady.

That's right, buddy.

You're pretty good.

She was always standing there waiting.

Even when I come home

a couple of years ago.

Hey, you see how easy

it is to hook 'em?

Stock reading, fits anybody.

Never misses.

Ah, what's youth?

Happy one minute,

hungry and heartbroken the next.

Every boy has a dog.

Every boy has a beautiful,

old, gray-haired mother.

- Everybody except maybe me.

- What happened to her?

- Oh, what do you care?

- Hey, don't cry in that good liquor.

You know,

I had a mother once.

She wasn't so good-looking,

but she was mighty good to me.

Hey, hey, you fellas take it easy.

There's not gonna be any left for me.

Buddy, you're sure a good mind reader.

Oh, excuse me, mister.

Are you the boss?

That's right.

What do you want?

1l- I, uh... I wanted to talk to you

about an attraction.

An added attraction, so to speak.

It's, uh, an attraction that...

- An attraction.

- Yeah? What kind of an attraction?

- Come on. Hurry up. I'm busy.

- Well...

Of course, I understand,

a man in your position.

Allow me to introduce myself.

I'm... I'm Sheik Abracadabra.

A top-money mint reader.

Sorry, brother.

I'm all full up.

- Anyway, I don't hire no boozers.

- Me?

You smell like you just climbed

out of a beer vat.

- Go on, beat it.

- Um...

Please, j-just give me

a chance, mister.

I'm an old carny hand

and I'll tackle anything.

Come here.

Sit down.

Would you like a snort?

Oh, y...

Oh, that's very refreshing.

Thank you, sir.

All I need is a fly

and a bridge table.

I can hang my banner

on the edge of the fly.

If I could have a small advance

to purchase the necessary...

That show is too high class

for a mid-camp.

Besides, palmistry always

gets you in trouble with the law.

Well, I'm pretty good

at magic too, sir. I...

Magicians are a dime a dozen

nowadays.

- Would you like another?

- Yeah.

Go ahead.

Anyway, I never fool with an act,

unless it's got something sensational.

Yeah. Yeah, sure.

- Wait.

- Yeah.

I just happened

to think of something.

I might have a job

you can take a crack at.

Course, it isn't much, and I'm not

begging you to take it, but it's a job.

Yeah, well,

that's all I want.

And we'll keep you

in coffee and cakes.

Bottle every day.

Place to sleep it off in.

What do you say?

Anyway, it's only temporary.

Just until we can get a real geek.

- Geek?

- You know what a geek is, don't you?

Yeah.

Sure, I-I know what a geek is.

Do you think

you can handle it?

Mister...

I was made for it.

Jimmy!

Hey, Jimmy!

- Jimmy!

- What's wrong, Ed?

- Have you seen the handcuff key?

- No.

Come on. Come on.

Where's the straitjacket?

- Who wants it?

- The boss.

- Is anything wrong?

- The geek's gone nuts.

- The geek?

- The one McGraw hired today.

Grab him, boys.!

You better get inside

and stay there.

Let's get him!

Watch him now. Don't hurt him.

Where...

Where did he go? Huh?

Stan. Stan.

Son, nobody's gonna hurt you.

Come on!

Hey, George!

- Mark, you go around the back.

- Okay, Charlie.

- Stan!

- Hey, look out, kid.

- That guy's liable to kill somebody.

- Stan!

It's me, Molly!

Stan.

It's me, Molly.

I've looked everywhere for you.

Everywhere.

I've been waiting for you.

Don't you know me, honey?

It's me, Molly.

Everything's gonna be all right now.

I'll look after you.

Molly?

Well, he certainly fooled me.

I never recognized him.

Stanton.

Stanton the Great.

How can a guy get so low?

He reached too high.

- Good night, boys. Lock up.

- Good night.

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