Pleasure Doing Business

The sun beat hard on the carnival. Shade from the tents provided some relief to the attendees milling about, but even under such protection things were still quite hot. With all the heat Travis had made sure that he had his bottle of water on hand at all times. He carefully sipped it as he reached the end of the row of games. Travis, distracted in thought about which game he would like to try, tripped over one of the ropes used to keep the tent steady.

His bottle tumbled from his hands, the weight of the water causing it to dig a little into the ground. Travis quickly pushed himself up and crawled forwards to inspect the damage. Even if he managed to find a refill Travis would still have to worry about washing his bottle. He sighed under his breath as he poured the sand out. Until he got home his only option for water was going to be one of the pricey bottle from the vendors.

“You alright buddy? That looked like a tough fall right there it did.” One of the workers came rushing over, offering Travis a hand up.

“Thanks, I’m fine though unfortunately I lost my water.” Travis demonstrated by pouring out a bit of the muddle trickle that was left inside.

“That’s a right shame there it is. Wish I could give you some of mine but it’s only available to workers.” The worker sighed, before his eyes lit up with a thought, snapping his fingers as he said “Hey! If you help me out with some stuff I can claim you as a worker and thus let you get some water.”

“That’s a bit of an unfair trade isn’t it?”

“You’re right…” The man sighed, “Tell you what, I’ll also get you into the big show.”

At this Travis’ eyes lit up. The big show had been sold out before he even got into the carnival! This was an offer he couldn’t pass up on. “Well, I think we might have a deal!”

The worker held out his hand, Travis took it, giving it a hearty shake.

“Camelus vita aeternum, Curet Bestia”

The man’s words shook Travis. Momentarily stumbling as the man pulled his hand away. The worker turned and Travis followed automatically.

“So what do you need help with?” Travis asked as they passed behind one of the tents.

“Some lifting, carrying things and people.” the man replied.

“Camelus vita aeternum, Curet Bestia” The words echoed in Travis’ head before he could respond. The sensation tripped him and his thick black nails dug into the ground as he landed. He didn’t bother to push himself up as he walked forwards on lengthening arms and legs.

“Camelus vita aeternum, Curet Bestia” Travis’ necklace swung from the bottom of his neck as it stretched upwards. Oblivious to the sound of his tearing shirt.

“Camelus vita aeternum, Curet Bestia” The sound of Travis’ voice came out as inhuman gibberish as he nearly tripped over his falling pants. Such clothing was quickly kicked off, left discarded in the back areas where no visitor would see.

“Camelus vita aeternum, Curet Bestia”, the phrase continued to echo, “Camelus vita aeternum, Curet Bestia”

The worker turned back as he reached the livestock pen, a grin on his face as he gazed over his newest addition. The only things left to hint at the beast’s previous life were some odd bits of clothing and rapidly fading features of humanity.

“Don’t worry, you’ll still get into the big show. The view isn’t that good while working on stage, but be obedient and you might just get a star role someday.” The worker teased even though he knew the camel would barely understand him at best. “You didn’t say how long you were willing to work for, so I had to default to a lifelong contract.”

“Deal’s a deal, camel! Enjoy your new life!”