Sebastian by Alan Field Read Free Book Online

tasks. Sandro popped me under one arm and off we went.
    The circus wagons were all ranged round in a big circle and in the centre was the tent pole, with the ropes and bundles of canvas ready to be put up. I could see some of the menagerie wagons, all painted in red with fancy gold lettering. One of them said:
    LUDO - THE FIERCEST LION IN ALL AFRICA
    We went over to look at him. Vittorio was inside trying to get Ludo to drink his bread and milk.
    â€œPlease, you got to eat something,” said Vittorio in a despairing voice. “You’ll be fit for nothing but an old rug.”
    Ludo yawned, showing all his wooden teeth, and then rolled over and went to sleep. A moth fluttered out of one ear.
    Well, he wasn’t much use, I thought.
    We toured round the other cages. There were some monkeys, Gertie the chimp, six performing dogs, six white horses, some funny-looking birds and a camel. No bears. And certainly no Yetis. I wondered what a Yeti really looked like. Since nobody had seen one ...
    â€œNow then, Yettino,” said Sandro. We were in his little make-up tent. “What does a Yeti look like I wonder? What you think?”
    Well, I was about to say that they must be very handsome creatures, but Sandro went on ... “Yetis must first be very strong. Then they also very fierce. And have sharp teeth. And have black fur ...” He thought a bit. “Black. Now what we got to make you black?”
    Oh dear, I thought. I didn’t mind being fierce, strong and having sharp teeth, but being black. How would anyone know me again? And my passport said GOLD.
    â€œDon’t worry,” said Sandro, noticing my expression. “I got just the thing. Brushes off as easy as walking a tightrope.” He got a little round box full of black powder, and went on sprinkling it over me until I’d nearly turned into a shadow. “Now - fierce,” he said, setting me on his make-up table. “Hmm, I think it’s your nose. It’s not quite fierce enough. It’s got to be longer and sharper. So ... I make you a new nose.”
    He got some cardboard from a drawer and a pair of enormous scissors.
    â€œFor cutting off people’s noses,” he said cheerfully, and went on shaping, snipping off bits here and there, and then he folded it round and round, and there was a new nose. Very wicked looking, I thought. I would have to be careful not to bump into people. He smeared it all over with black grease paint, threaded some elastic on to it and clipped it on. It was very hollow- sounding inside the nose, and smelt queer, but I supposed it made a difference.
    â€œNow, what we got left?” wondered Sandro. “Ah, yes - teeth. Teeth I am very good at. Very good. Ludo is very pleased with his. Pity he was not a sabre-toothed tiger though. Never mind, for you I make something special - I make fangs!”
    He rummaged about in the drawer, found some old wooden clothes pegs and started to carve them up with his penknife. Soon there were two fearsome-looking white fangs, curved and pointed.
    â€œA drop of red grease paint,” he said, “and ecco finite!”
    He fixed them with some sticky tape, and then turned me round to look in the mirror.
    What terrible creature was it? My squeaker nearly failed with fright. Hideous it was, with dripping fangs and beaked nose.
    Sandro waved my right paw, and the vision waved its left paw. He tweaked my left ear, and the vision had its right ear tweaked.
    â€œIt’s all right, don’t worry,” said Sandro, feeling my stuffing trembling. “It’s you really. Yes, you’re the best baby Yeti I’ve ever seen.”

Chapter 7: Spaghetti Yeti Baby

    All that afternoon I sat in the make-up tent - with my back to the mirror - while everybody was getting ready for the performance that night. Aldo had gone into the village all dressed up in red and gold, with a flute and the big drum painted on one side:
    SPAGHETTI’S WORLD