My
longtime friends, Dana and Bruce (see She Floats!)
offered to drive to Vacaville for The Circus of Terror. They have an old Volvo
sedan, and it felt terrific to be a backseat rider with Bridgit.
The
Circus of Terror was simply a Halloween style family affair: haunted house,
maze, and "side show of freaks" as the sign described it. What was
in store for us?
The sign said:
"The glass walking woman, the cockroach-eating geek boy, the fire
eating freak master, the bloody bed of nails, the ladder of doom, the electric
sword swallower, and more shocking sights and outrageous oddities."
Felicity and Matthew (Molotov Malcontent) made up 50 percent of the
team.
Unfortunately, the sword swallower had actually injured himself two nights earlier, so Felicity was performing more as a clown than in her side show roles. I liked her clown outfit a lot and enjoyed the fact that she could transpose from Lusty Lady to clown so easily. When I mentioned that to Bruce, he laughed and said: "That is a very lusty-looking clown!"
Matthew's
best friend was in charge of the show and impressed us with his fire eating
skills. Aside
from eating cockroaches, Matthew did amazing things with his piercings --
tongue, ears, and yes, nipples -- and heavy weights.
YOUCH!
Felicity wowed us with her antics on a bed of nails.
Felicity
was very glad to see us.
We hugged, and then she raced for Bridgit -- taking off the tee shirt I
had put on her for the occasion.
There was time during intermission to take some photos, and Felicity
suggested we do it on stage.
The show was outside; it was dark, and the stage was softly lit. When
the stage manager saw us setting up, he jacked up the lights which made things
MUCH easier.
It turns out that Felicity is a complete natural with a camera aimed in her direction. She did almost all the set ups, with me just hoping that the exposure and focus were appropriate. First, she posed Bridgit on the bed of nails.
Then, she lay down on top of the bed of nails with Bridgit in between her and the nails. Bridgit was bouncing shadows, very beautiful yellow light, and I just clicked away as Felicity kept transforming her persona -- all within that clown outfit and face. She seemed completely comfortable having me shoot very close up.
I
was surprised how responsive we were to each other, neither one of us saying
anything. The
light made everything so seductively candy colored.
I lost track of being on a stage, of worrying about my camera settings,
of shooting in low light, and I left the tripod behind.
The photos have quite a progression. When she first started to pose, Felicity's look is petulant and seductive.
As we hung in there with each other, the connection between us became much more open.
When she placed Bridgit up on "the ladder of doom," she said that Bridgit reminded her of The Virgin Mary.
The last shot on the roll raised goose bumps on my arms as I looked through the lens. When I got the film back and called Felicity to tell her how much I liked the pictures, she asked if the last one I took was any good. I told her it was the very best one, as far as I was concerned. I asked her what she was thinking at the time. She replied: "That you are easy to look at, and that Bridgit was my friend."
I
have framed that one and keep it on top of my radio in my kitchen.
I never get tired of looking at it.
Getting to Know Felicity
About Bridgit
Bridgit in Malta
Bridgit at St. Brigid's
She Floats!
High Light: The Winter Solstice
Excursion to Primal Decor
Getting to Know Felicity
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