A Lesson for the Cyclops by Jeffrey Getzin

26
    The Cyclops met D’Arbignal by the creek, as promised. She walked carefully though the woods, holding up a lamp in one hand, and waving a stick before her with the other. Since she lost her eye, her depth perception had suffered and she always felt nervous walking among trees with their pointy branches. It was too easy to misjudge how close they were, and if she ran into one with her good eye…!
    D’Arbignal was waiting for her when she arrived. His white shirt had a small brown stain on the breast, and D’Arbignal grimaced when he moved.
    “Yes,” he acknowledged, “Alfredo has been getting a little overzealous of late.”
    “Are you hurt badly?” she said.
    He waved away her concern.
    “I’ve heard puns that hurt more than this,” he said. “Now would you like to see your surprise?”
    She hesitated only a few moments, and then nodded.
    D’Arbignal grinned and reached into his magical bag. If she had been given a year to guess what the gift was, she still wouldn’t have guessed the item he withdrew.
    “Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “I couldn’t!”
    D’Arbignal’s grin was enormous. His eyes lit up like a naughty child’s.
    “Sure you could,” he said.

Chapter 27
    Every night after the marks had gone home, she met D’Arbignal by the creek. Nearly every time, he had some new injury born of Alfredo’s blade.
    He repeatedly deflected questions about his wounds, laughing each off with a quip or a dismissive wave of his hand.
    It was only on the last night they met that he remarked upon his misfortunes.
    “Alfredo thinks I’m sleeping with his wife,” D’Arbignal said with an ironic smile. He had a brown-stained bandage wrapping his right hand. “I may be the only man in the circus who hasn’t slept with Conchinara, but since I disappear each night after the show …”
    He shrugged.
    “It is starting to get a little tedious,” he admitted.

Chapter 28
    The night that Conchinara told her husband that D’Arbignal had gotten her pregnant, the Cyclops was on display in the Freak Show. Since D’Arbignal had helped her improve her appearance, the number of marks who came to see her had increased nightly. There was a full house when the tent shook from the impact of a body against its side. The crowd cried out in alarm, and streamed out of the tent.
    Pahula hopped down from her platform.
    “We must see what’s is gooing on!” she said, her eyes wide with excitement.
    The midget twins scampered off after her. Alone now, the Cyclops decided she might as well go look, too.
    She emerged to see Alfredo chasing D’Arbignal about the circus grounds. Alfredo's eyes were aflame with rage, his rapier whistling. D’Arbignal evaded, dodging the Master Fencer’s deadly blade, backpedaling toward the Main Tent. An ever-increasing crowd followed, watching this unexpected spectacle.
    “I swear to you, I’m telling you the truth,” D’Arbignal protested, his rapier still sheathed at his side, waving his hands as though to ward off Alfredo’s wrath.
    “Screwed my wife!” Alfredo said, insane with anger. “Screwed my wife!”
    “I’m telling you, I did not!”
    It was like arguing with a charging rhinoceros. None of D’Arbignal’s words seemed to get through to the Master Fencer.
    D’Arbignal backed into the Main Tent. Alfredo followed. Startled cries and shouts emerged from the audience, who, judging by the hour, would have been watching one of Conchinara’s sultry dances.
    Marco had expressly forbidden the freaks from entering the Main Tent, but the Cyclops suspected that many things would be changing tonight, so she followed the crowd into the tent.
    Inside, Marco was desperately trying to restore order, but everyone seemed to be ignoring him. Alfredo was chasing D’Arbignal around the large ring, while Conchinara continued to point and hurl accusations and curses at D’Arbignal.
    D’Arbignal’s eyes were wide with terror when the Cyclops entered the tent, but as soon as he