The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno: A Novel (46 page)

After that, I ate in silence, drinking my ale and watching the sun dim in the windows. I paid my bill with a final nod to Esmeralda, picked up my bag and my bird, and stepped out to the porch. The setting sun shone along the wall, illuminating the Plaques for the Dead. For the last time, I touched the bronze square of Grizzly Adams for luck. Maybe when I die? I thought fleetingly—but no, I’d never have a place on that wall.

A familiar squawk pulled my attention to the other side of the porch. The old oak had filled out with so many summer leaves that the top branches were invisible from where I stood. But if I tilted my head to the right, I saw them, nestled in the leaves like jewels: at least a dozen of my birds—the parakeets, the cockatoos, Arrow the parrot, one wing slightly ruffed, and the raven. After escaping from Barnum’s Museum, they’d winged their way here to be near the river. Out of their natural element, but free.

I pulled the piece of bread I’d swiped from the Museum from my pocket. Leaning against the porch rail, I threw part of the crust to the birds and ate the rest myself.

T
HEY SAY IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD.
A
FIRST BOOK
isn’t much different. Thanks to my early readers, especially Sue Loesburg, who believed, and Carrie Colburn, who was full of encouragement.

A writer needs good teachers, and I had two great ones: Mark Farrington and Elly Williams, both of the Johns Hopkins Advanced Academics Program’s creative writing program in Washington, D.C.

Thanks also to the Circus World in Baraboo, Wisconsin, made possible by Douglas Jansson, president of the Milwaukee Community Foundation, for a wealth of source material. And to the various friends and readers who gave me great input: Ann Hood, Lisa Tucker, Alexia von Lipsey, Sharon Mazer, Claire Nelson, and Jeff Barry.

The lovely illustrations are the brainchild of Cecilia Sorochin.

Special thanks to Keith Donohue, who has been tremendously generous in time, wisdom, skill, and expertise, and again to Elly Williams, who walked the walk with me for many years. I have also been blessed with an awesome agent, Mollie Glick, and an equally talented editor, Helen Atsma.

Finally, what would I have done without my husband, Rick Jones: editor, proofreader, supporter, and very patient man.

E
LLEN
B
RYSON
holds a BA in English from Columbia University and an MA in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Academics Program in Washington, D.C. Formerly a modern dancer, she recently moved from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she and her husband danced tango. She now lives in Southern California. This is her first novel.