Title: Terror-go-Round, the alternative universe ending.
Chapter: Three
Author: Squeezynz
Rating: PG

The Little People experience life in a circus, the good, the bad and the ugly.

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Betty slept fitfully for the next few hours, her body curled into a ball amongst the sumptuous cushions, her mind chasing itself like a rat on a wheel. The giant must have awoken some time while she dozed because as dawn broke he was nowhere to be seen beyond her limited vision outside the bottle. It amazed her that someone so large could move to quietly, and she felt quite unnerved. By the time sunlight started to slant through the thin curtains shielding the small window, Betty felt completely exhausted, her nerves pushed to the limit. As if alerted to her movements, the giant appeared out of the semi-gloom and approached the table, pulling up the chair he'd used to sleep in, and sitting down. Betty started up in alarm as the giant lowered his face to peer into her glass prison. Last night the uncertain candle light had obscured most of his features bar the obvious fact of his beard and moustache. Now she could see that the man also had ferociously bushy eyebrows and a full head of dark, shoulder length wavy hair, lending him a wild man appearance. Only his eyes gave her any hope, for they were a warm brown thickly ringed by long dark lashes and at that moment were looking at her with a definite twinkle in them.

"Well, well you certainly are a prize," said the man, his hand coming to rest against the glass bottle. "No-one ever said you Little People were so beautiful,"

"Er...thank you, I think," stammered Betty, her back firmly pressed against the far wall of the bottle, her eyes darting from the mans face to the hand wrapped around the outside of the glass.

"I think you will be a fine addition to my collection of curiosities,"

Incensed, Betty bristled and glared at the giant.

"I'm not a....curiosity," she spluttered, eyes flashing daggers. "I'm a human being not a specimen,"

"Ah fire burns brightly in that tiny heart....good," chuckled the man, his eye's crinkling up while baring a set of perfect teeth underneath his moustache. Betty could only stare furiously at the man, her heart giving a little lurch as she recognised the innate charm and good humour in the face looming over her.

"It's illegal to keep Little People," Betty stated primly, her hands clutching at the silk cushions in a effort to still their trembling.

"Oh I know that....everyone does, but I don't expect to put you on public exhibition, you're too precious for that," said the giant, running a finger up and down the side of the bottle in an oddly caressing gesture, "I think you are going to be for private viewing only,"

"Private viewing ?" croaked Betty, her throat suddenly dry. She knew little about circus's and how they carried on, but it didn't bode well for her future if she became a plaything for the rich and curious. "What would you expect me to do...I can't live in this bottle forever...as it is I need.." Betty paused, flushing in embarrassment, " I need....privacy, for certain things,"

"Of course...this is only a temporary container, I wasn't exactly prepared when the Ringmaster called me. I will arrange for alternative accommodation shortly, but I thought you would find the bottle more comfortable in the short term."

"Oh....and...um, did you put me into this..." Betty waved a hand to indicate her outlandish costume," this...outfit ?"

This time the giant laughed out loud, his head thrown back. "I wondered how long before you asked me that....no, it wasn't me, my sister performed that task, so rest easy on that score,"

Betty visibly slumped in relief, one hand going to rest over her heart that was thumping painfully.

"I think it is time I introduced myself...my name is Hach, I am the Keeper of the Curiosity Tent," said the giant, indicating himself with a flourish, "what do they call you ?"

"Oh...um...my name is Betty....Betty Hamilton,"

"Hmmmm Betty....a pretty name, but hardly exotic enough for a butterfly trapped in a bottle....I think you need a new name," said Hach, looking off briefly into the distance, his eyes unfocussed. Almost immediately he snapped his fingers and grinned down at his captive. " How about something else....like Bashrina the Beautiful,"

"Ur....I kinda like my own name,"

"But I like Bashrina....so that will be your new name, Bashrina....conjures up exotic places, and once my sister has taught you some moves and made you some more costumes I think we have a winning show to tempt even the most jaded of connoisseurs,"

"Moves ? Costumes ?" said Betty faintly, her unease growing. Hach must have noticed her dismayed expression as he suddenly snapped out of his contemplative stance and sat upright.

"But all of that is for later, right now we need to put you somewhere you can have your....privacy, and I need to discuss arrangement with my sister and the ringmaster, so do not fear Bashrina, you only have to rest and look beautiful, I will do the rest."

"Only have to rest," muttered Betty, closing her eyes as if to shut out the world beyond the bottle. When she opened them again, Hach had been joined by another giant, this time a woman, who opened the curtains shielding the window, and generally bustled about the room, her long black hair swinging around her shoulders in a cloud. The two giants exchanged comments in a language Betty couldn't understand, the giants moving in a easy manner of long acquaintance around each other as they prepared the morning meal. Betty knew that many of the remarks were about her as the women threw several glances her way, as did Hach. After a few minutes, Hach came back to the table and lifted up the bottle and, after making sure that Betty wasn't leaning against the glass, he twisted it sharply, separating the top from the bottom leaving Betty sitting on the pile of cushions as if on a plinth.

"You are free to move around the table top," said Hach, "over there I have set up an area for you to use, there is water and other essentials," he pointed to what looked like a box. "I will help my sister prepare a meal while you are.....occupied,"

"Thank you," said Betty, sliding off the cushions to stand upright on the table top. Hach only grinned before turning his back and rejoining the woman. Betty rubbed her stiff legs before staggering over to the box wall and walking around it. On the other side of the wall she found a thimble full of water and some cloths as well as another small bucket for her personal use. After relieving herself, Betty freshened up, grateful to drink some of the cool water as well as clean her gritty face. Beyond the cardboard walls she could hear the two giants talking to each other, interspersed with the occasional rattle of plates and cutlery and the heavenly smell of brewing coffee. After smoothing down her clothes and combing her fingers through her hair, Betty walked around and came to stand next the base of the bottle. As casually as possible, she looked around the table top for anything that would help her in a possible escape, but saw nothing that could help her right away. The table was pressed up tight against the wall with no gaps or hanging cords to climb down, not even a standard lamp. Looking up she noticed that the roof was slightly curved, and given the overall size of the room, she deduced that she was in a caravan of sorts, which accounted for the compact nature of all the fixtures and fittings. Even the table looked as if it could fold up or down with a hinged leaf at each end to enlarge or reduce its surface area. After a quick recce Betty made her way back to the bottle base and waited. The sun was now shining directly on the table top and she was glad of the warmth seeping into her tired limbs through the flimsy material of her costume.

"Open your eyes Bashrina, breakfast is served."

Betty flinched and opened her eyes, surprised that she had nodded off while standing up. In front of her was a small platter heaped up with small pieces of food. Hach was sitting at one end of the table, his sister at the other, both with full plates and steaming mugs. Feeling the giants eyes on her, Betty pulled a couple of the cushions down and placed them beside the tray, sitting down crosslegged on them before reaching for a piece of bread. Seeing her start to eat galvanised the giants into action and the next few minutes were spent quietly consuming their breakfast's.

Occasionally, between mouthfuls, Hach and his sister would exchange comments, but always in a language that Betty couldn't begin to recognise. Eventually she decided to ignore the giants and concentrate on her own meal, always mindful that her next could be some hours away, as the last had been.

Eventually the sister rose and collected the dishes to wash and made her way to the other side of the room, leaving Hach at the table. He sat nursing his coffee, occasionally pausing to look out the small window beside him.

"I have to go to work soon, but I will make a start on a more suitable arrangement for you. In the meantime I will have to ask you to climb back onto your bed of cushions so I can replace the bottle,"

"But...." started Betty, only to be waved off by Hach.

"I know....it will not be for long, I will sort something out soon, in the meantime you are safer in the bottle. My sister, Aisha, will be coming in and out of our caravan during the morning, so ask her if there is anything you need urgently,"

"Hach....were there any other Little People brought to the circus ?"

For a long moment Hach only looked down at Betty with sympathetic eyes.

"You must forget your companions...they have been sent elsewhere and you will not see them again....ever."

"Oh no," Betty gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. " I don't understand.....are they.....dead ?"

"They might as well be....you will not see them again," said Hach, not unkindly but unequivocally. Ignoring Betty's stricken expression, Hach indicated for her to climb back onto the cushions before bringing down the bottle's top and screwing it firmly onto the base again.

"I am sorry Bashrina, but your former life it now gone....your only life now is here, with us,"

Speechless with despair, Betty could only watch numbly as Hach got to his feet and walked over to Aisha, giving her a peck on the cheek and a parting remark before leaving the caravan.

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Exhaustion had overtaken Steve despite his best efforts to stay awake. He lay slumped next to Dan, sheltered inside the paper cup, his head pillowed on his arm. Beyond the shade of the caravan the early morning sun burnt off the slight dew, making tendrils of steam rise from the short grass into the cloudless dawn. As Steve and Dan slept the circus encampment slowly came to life with giant starting to move around the various tents and caravans carefully placed around the large field that had become their temporary home. It was the squawk of the public address system that finally roused Dan, the discordant noise jarring him from a pleasant dream. He lay for a few moments just listening to the sounds of the giants moving around, their feet pounding the ground and causing faint vibrations to ripple through the packed earth. He could hear them calling greetings to each other with occasional bursts of laughter between people who were obviously very familiar with each other. He had visited a circus when he was a teenager, his fascination with the hire wire act the main draw card. He even entertained the brief notion of asking to join the circus in some capacity but his tentative approach to the Ringmaster had met with a resounding rebuff with the parting comment that the circus only hired its own. Not understanding the term at the time it was only later that he realised that they meant that only people born to a circus troupe could become a part of it. Of course, he'd come to realise that not all troupes were so intransigent but by then he had lost any urge to run away and join a circus, his track career starting to take off instead. Now he lay in the paper cup and listened to the familiar but alien sounds of the circus as it emerged into the new day. Beside him Steve lay on his side, still asleep, unaware of the activity around their hideout. Biting on his lip to stifle a groan, Dan levered himself upright and shuffled forward to peer outside the lip of the cup. He could see beyond the looming edge of the caravan that traffic was still light with only a few giants actually working in the immediate vicinity of their particular hiding place. Most of the giants he could see were doing maintenance on the various stalls set up around the entrance, while others were checking the guy ropes of the large performance tent placed in the centre. As he watched a giant approached leading an animal on a chain. He couldn't see the head of the animal because it was too tall and too close, but from the size of the feet Dan could see it was most probably some type of elephant, possibly being taken beyond the circus surrounds to graze outside before the first performance. As the huge creature passed their caravan the ground shook with the force of its footfall, the vibrations making the cup shake anew, this time waking Steve, his eyes opening reluctantly.

"What the hell was that ?"

"Good morning Steve...that was an elephant,"

"Just one ? Felt like a whole herd," Steve grumbled, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up in spikes.

"Nope...just the one," grinned Dan, " Sleep well ?"

"Well enough....considering," said Steve, pushing himself up and coming to crouch next to Dan at the opening of the paper cup. "What's been happening out there ?"

"Nothing much...just the usual stuff....and the elephant,"

"We need to be in a better vantage point, we can't see enough of the camp to spot our people is they are moved,"

"What do you suggest Steve...if we can see them, you can be they will be able to see us,"

"Not necessarily, if we can climb up to the roof of this caravan, we could have a great lookout over the whole circus grounds,"

"I don't see any wings sprouting on your back Steve," snorted Dan, peering at his friends shoulders, "so how do you propose we do that ?"

"Chill Dan, I'll scout around and see what I can find,"

"And what am I supposed to do while you scout ?"

"Get yourself over to that wheel and keep look-out, I'll whistle if I find anything,"

Not giving Dan time to make another pithy retort, Steve darted away, his head turning every which way looking for anything they could use. Dan muttered to himself about over confident captains before getting to his feet and making his way over to the wagon wheel and crouching behind its solid bulk. Suddenly he heard noises coming from above his head, presumably from the owner of the caravan just waking up. The sound of something made him look down the length of the underside in time to see a torrent of water shoot out of a pipe set a hundred meters from his position, the liquid splashing over a wide area and quickly forming a wide puddle in the muddied grass. As he watched, the water stopped a suddenly as it had arrived, slowing to a trickle and eventually just drips that plonked noisily into the lake formed on the ground.

"I hope that was only washing water," Dan murmured to himself, turning back to look out over the circus grounds. Behind him, unseen until now because of the deep shadows, a stealthy figure crept forward and started to lap at the puddle of water, its black eyes constantly darting around as if expecting an enemy to jump out at any moment. It's thirst satisfied, the creature licked it wet muzzle and looked around for something else to fill its empty belly. It's head lifted and it sniffed the air, scenting something edible. Furtively it scurried down the length of the caravan, reaching the small collection of debris that had formed the Little People's haven during the night. There it discovered the remaining kernels of popcorn which it devoured rapaciously. It's appetite whetted, the rodent turned and sniffed the air again. This time it turned it attention to the man crouched in the shadow of the wheel, its whiskers twitching at the unfamiliar smell of the Earthling. Dan, his back to the rat, remained unaware of the danger, his attention fully on the giants moving about the circus. Cautiously the rat crept towards the oblivious man, its black eyes gleaming in the semi darkness, its large body quite noiseless as it padded closer and closer across the trampled grass.

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