The Demise of Foxy Jack (Adventures of the X Pirates Book 1) (5 page)

Archie learned all the great plays of the past by reciting lines with all the actors. Working with them through the years taught him that acting was a legitimate and respectable profession. Where others saw wandering ne’er do wells and vagabonds ragamuffins who lied and deceived for a living, Archie understood that acting was not duplicitous at all. Acting was truth.

The company toured the Empire, and everywhere the revelers went they searched for Archie’s family, but never found them. Better troupes were sponsored by nobility or by the various towns and cities in which they played. For the Jacques Burdick Traveling Repertory Dell’arte donations were given by passing the hat. They performed for free because Jacques believed in theater for everyone and the troupe took that belief with them everywhere they played.

Thirteen years after Benjamin Nightthorn was born, and on the same day the crow made his flying debut in the family concern, a thirteen year old fox stood on a vast stage in a remarkable theatre.

The company had traveled to Venance, the opulent city on the sea and the birthplace of the mask as craft and art. Since its founding, the city took the mask as its symbol and put it at the center of its cultural heart. The city and the mask were celebrated with festivals, spectacles, and parades throughout the year. The Carnival of the Mask was the largest of all these. Thirteen days of festivities and frivolity glorifying the most elusive of the theatre crafts.

Ah Venance!

The jubilant crowds would shout.

Ah the Mask!

They would call to the actors who wore them.

Jacques had taken Archie to the stage at the Theatre Artigiani in Venance. This was the place where a creature first wore a mask. Jacques slipped a hard earned gold coin into the palm of the armadillo at the stage door and he opened the gateway to this palace of profound theatrical history.

Theatre Artigiani was originally an amphitheater cut into the side of a hill. After the Great Evolution animals found themselves gathering in groups and beginning to enunciate the new vocal patterns Mother Nature had given them. As they continued to gather and evolve their newly found languages, they began to bicker amongst themselves for lack of understanding. No one animal trusted another animal to speak for them. They couldn’t share their common experience.

A marmot by the name of Mariella Artigiani recognized the problem. Using twigs, mud, and leaves she created a mask for herself. She stood masked and anonymous at the bottom of the hill and called out to the animals gathered on that day. She began to tell her story in a strong voice and with conviction. She spoke of her journeys since the Great Evolution and how it had changed her. She told stories of her fellow marmot’s and how they had been scattered to the winds. She sang the songs of her ancestors that spoke of longing and family.

Not every creature understood her that day, but they were all moved by the emotion of what they saw. In the days that followed others followed her lead. They created and wore masks to tell their stories. In that way they all became a common group of one. For the first time intelligent creatures could share their fears, hopes, and dreams. A process that began with the first animals that discovered fire, the ones that gathered around the warm light and shared only howls, grunts, and whistles, found its way to the heart of a marmot and she in turn created theater.

The moment was marked by a set of five square stones that were embedded into the ground where Mariella stood. Wooden planks were added later to create a flat surface so that storytellers could stand together to tell epic tales. The marker remained at the center of the stage floor. More and more creatures arrived to view these performances and so seating was cut into the sloped hillside. Weather conditions lead to an open-air roof structure and with time brick and mortar was built around the frame to forever enshrine the Theatre Artigiani.

There.

Jacques reverently whispered, as he pointed to the five stones embedded in the stage floor.

That is where Mariella Artigiani stood when she spoke her truth and gave birth to all us players and revelers.

Archie gingerly walked across the floor. The five gray stones were arranged with one at the center and the four others adjacent to each side of the center stone.

X marks the spot, Archie.

The fox moved closer.

Have no fear there.

Jacques reassured him.

Stand on your mark.

He instructed him.

Archie took the last two steps that put him standing directly over the stones.

The rules are simple.

He could feel the energy there.

Listen.

He closed his eyes and listened to his mentor speak.

Say your lines. Speak your truth. Own that place.

Standing there Archie understood completely.

The mark is not always visible, my son, but you can always feel it.

He understood he carried his center with him

It’s in your heart.

He understood it would always be with him.

That’s where you’re the bravest.

Jacques reached into the cloth bag he brought with him.

A creature is least himself when he speaks.

He pulled a mask from it and handed it to the fox.

Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.

The mask was simple in its construction and had no filigree or elaborate additions. It was plain and black with a hint of a shine and Archie thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

Many years would pass before the company returned to Venance and in that time Jacques taught Archie the magic of the mask. In his simple mask he learned to portray all the classic character types. He learned to play the sincere, the insincere, the hapless, the hopeful, the superstitious, the faultfinder, and the flatterer, the greedy penny pincher, and the generous benefactor. He learned that masks cannot be separated from their characters. He came to understand that the character and the mask are one in the same and that the actor makes it all come to life.

He graduated quickly to the more complex character portrayals. The fabricator of lies, the creature of petty ambition, the cowardly villain, and the arrogant hero. From the repulsive creature without moral feelings and the basely covetous boor, to the endearing fool and the hopeless romantic, he grasped each character trait until they became his own. In that way as an actor he could always deliver a character suitable to the moment. In that way as an artist he could bring life to his mask.

On their return to Venance there was a rehearsal for a special performance the following day. Archie had become a phenomenon in their small part of the world. He played all the great roles and was very popular on the tour. His success seemed assured and secured. Jacques decided it was time for the Company to make a change.

As they waited their turn to rehearse on the stage of the Adelphian Playhouse, the largest theatre in Venance, Archie and Jacques sat in the dark of the highest balcony seats and watched a ballerina dancing on the boards down below.

Fate is a beautiful creature Archie.

The sprightly fawn on stage was graceful.

She floats on the ocean waves and glides through the water at the helm of the great ship Destiny.

She executed the dance with elegance.

She’s there, day and night, looking out for us. Making sure our journeys are righteous.

Archie had never seen such a graceful figure.

The time has come for the company to make its way to the new world.

Jacques said with a hint of sadness.

Our performance tomorrow will be our last here.

The fawn finished her dance and those few in attendance applauded as Jacques delivered the rest of his news.

We artists are an adventurous lot, Archie. We must explore. We must discover. We must observe and experience in order to create.

Jacques took his adopted son by the shoulder.

And now it’s our turn, and yours.

Archie knew he couldn’t leave with them. The now mature young fox would stay behind to make his own way and to keep searching for his family.

Jacques then imparted his last advice

Live a glorious and extraordinary life, my boy.

He said with a tear and a smile.

Seek your fortune and your bliss with abandon.

Two days later the entire company, minus one, of the Jacques Burdick Traveling Repertory Dell’arte boarded the merchant vessel Surprise and sailed off toward the horizon. The fox had lost another family, but he was better off for having known them.

Archie Leach went from company to company and knocked on many doors. He auditioned at every theatre that would let him try, and he was turned away at every opportunity. Masks were considered a thing of the past. What the public wanted now was spectacle. Archie’s big break never came. His unique skills were no longer required. Eventually, he began to sing songs and dance on street corners for money. Ashamed of what he had to do he put his mask away.

Archie entered a bad time in his journey. He was lonely and tired of searching for a career that would never happen and a family he was convinced was better off without him. He visited many taverns. He began to drink. Heavily. He found himself with the wrong creatures and a life of petty crime quickly found him, as did the women. And they were all the wrong kind. He gambled when he could, and consistently lost his money when he did.

With no money for lodgings the great Archie Leach took to sleeping in alleys and gutters that ended in dead end streets. It was on one of these streets in the gambling mecca of Gaffle that the fox met an albino bear and an owl, or as they were known in their circles, the Chief and the Linguist.

Good evening, brother.

The bear poked the fox with his silver walking stick.

Good evening.

Archie slurred.

Are you here to rob and beat me?

The fox inquired.

That might indeed be our intent on this fine night.

The bear said with a laugh.

Are you going to kill me?

Archie asked.

While my associate and I may be so inclined,

The bear began.

And we are.

The owl chimed in.

What with the disposal of your body.

The bear stated as he lit a cigar.

Messy business that.

The owl agreed.

And the lateness of the hour.

The bear looked at the owl’s pocket watch.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

The owl chided as he snapped it shut.

We simply do not have the time.

With that the bear lit his large roll of tobacco.

Pity that.

Archie sighed.

Do you wish us to kill you?

The owl asked with surprise.

It’s more of an immediate desire to reach an inevitable conclusion.

The world weary fox explained.

Your desperation intrigues me.

The bear moved in closer.

Search my pockets. You’ll find nothing there but dust.

And to dust you shall return.

The owl added with a sneer.

Is it your plan to talk me to death?

The fox drunkenly snapped back.

What were you before you were this, brother?

The bear asked as Archie struggled to his feet.

I’m a
ne’er do well actor.

The owl and the bear shared a glance.

Are you any good?

The owl asked, as he moved closer to the bear.

I’m the best. It’s a horrible gift.

The bear was staring at the drunk and puffing away like a chimney.

Acting is the very art of duplicity, Chief.

The owl whispered to the bear and the bear agreed.

My associate and I may have a use for your skills.

The fox walked with them and without much fanfare he joined up with a group of singular con artists and independent grifters known as the Organization. Archie Leach would now be known only as the Actor, and the Chief and the Linguist became his next mentors.

Everyone knows that bears are powerful, grounded and introspective creatures with deep thoughts, and that owls are highly intelligent and crafty creatures with an air of mystery that speaks of secrets. Though generally solitary and quiet, bears are natural leaders that derive their strength from within. Owls of course are known to be wise. They look from within and without and can always sense deceit and dishonesty. Many say you can never lie to a bear because they will always know. Many say you can never keep a secret from an owl because they will always find it.

As their leader, the bear always stayed on the up and up and was rarely ever seen. No criminal activity was directly connected to him in any way. He was a big white shadow that never committed any wrongdoing but masterminded and funded all the swindles. The owl was the direct contact for the Organization’s criminal operations and stratagem. He selected the marks and the personnel for each customized deception.