The Fantastique Genetique
Eddy took in a deep whiff of cotton candy and roasted peanuts as his heart beated wildly. The crowd roared.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to the Fantastique Genetique!”
The spotlight appeared on the ringmaster, Monsieur Guimauve. His eyes glistened with a sense of mischief.
To his right, a woman appeared along with a second spotlight. Her skin was a patchwork of shimmering scales.
“First witness the marvel of Carolina, our serpentina!” Monsieur’s voice boomed through the many speakers encircling the stage. “Her genome has been spliced with the grace of the python. Watch as she bends and contorts!”
Carolina leaned backwards, her back bending to an impossible angle. Her legs bent in a circle, wrapping around a plastic orange cone.
"Did you see that?" a child's high-pitched voice pierced the whispers.
"Is that even legal?" a woman hissed, a touch of fear in her voice.
"Incredible," an older man mused, "To think we've come this far..."
Carolina's scales, usually a muted green, pulsed with an iridescent energy picked up by the lights. She smiled, the scales shifting to a playful violet under the attention.
Her coiled body no longer resembled a woman, but a knot of green and purple.
Her body unfurled in a shower of light, and she bowed, the scales now a soft rose in the afterglow.
As the spotlight faded, another appeared high above the crowd. Juniper stood on the top of a tiny podium with a thin rope in front of him.
Juniper took a step forward, carefully trying to balance. His hands rose to his sides as he took a second step.
The rope shook suddenly. The audience gasped as he lost his balance. However, as he plunged over the side, a large tail appeared out of his costume and curled itself around the tightrope.
“Millions of years of ago, humans evolved to lose their tales. But our showcase is a hall of genetic marvels!” the ringleader exclaimed.
Everyone, even the adults were astonished.
The show turned into a blur as Monsieur Guimauve introduced the rest of the ensemble. Diamandis didn’t need a spotlight, her body glowed in a dazzling display of colors. Colin was covered head-to-toe in thick hair, enhanced by the genes of an ancient Siberian bear-dog. His howl was loud enough to shake the back of the room.
The canvas tent continued to throb with life as performers demonstrated their uniqueness to the roar of the audience. Under this big top they were not monsters out of science fiction — they were stars.