Subject: KCRF, Act III
Since upon buying the season pass I decided that I wanted to observe this thing called Faire in all its permutations, I resolved to go this Saturday rain or shine, and I got some of the former. The day started out overcast, the temperature was still in the low 60's at opening. It opened to the sound of the cannon, as always, no modification was made in the shadow of the events of last week in New York and D.C. It stayed dry until just after the 12:30 parade of all the cast members thru the site was done, then it started to slowly drizzle. I carried a modern looking umbrella with my garb, and got into a discussion with another patron about it. I told her that a Chinese one, had I had one, could have been contemporary with my outfit, then I went into faire accent and told her I had been on a bit of a journey to Cathay and bade her good morrow as she was smiling. Most of the mundanes started turning out in purple plastic ponchos with a KCRF logo repeated all over them, that were being sold for two dollars. Arachne said it reminded her of the California Raisins.
The musicians moved into shops to play, and all of the other stage acts were chased off any platforms not under roofs, except for one act where Robin Hood was (for some unexplained plot reason) swordfighting with Little John for the hand of Maid Marion. I marveled for a while over how they alone were still out in the rain, then I found out that their act involved all of them being the victim of someone else throwing a bucketful of water over them. I guessed that they figured there was nothing to lose.
I was watching this under my umbrella, and a lady came over to me to share the umbrella, then started snuggling up against my side, asking if I was the first crossdresser at the Festival. I told her I was the latest in a long line. Later I shared the umbrella with the ticket taker for the elephant ride, and he engaged me in another long conversation about elephants and those who ride them. I also had an instant excuse for hanging around in anybody's store without buying, and shooting the breeze. I spent a long while fondling the velvets in a noble class costume store (but decided that becoming a peasant had cost me enough for a while). The rain made the atmosphere cozier for a while as everybody started to huddle together under roofs. But most of the population outside of cast and hardcore rennies left by about three thirty, and I sat for a while with Arachne and conversed about the New York event and other topics.
There was almost no visible evidence of the tragedy at the Festival. All the acts went on with no mention of it. I saw only two places where a certain anachronistic striped banner was being displayed. Anyone who came to get away from it all had a good place.
In mid afternoon, after the rain started, I was walking in front of a shop and a boy, must have been 8 or 9 years old, came up to me very shyly and said, "You're dressed like a girl!" I said indeed I was, and he asked why. I said, "Because it's fun and it feels good", but he just couldn't grasp that. "It doesn't make sense". I went on to talk about how I was the same person no matter what clothes I had on, and got an "I guess so", but he still walked away like he was confused. Like I know I have many times before, I'm sure I made a parent have to do some explaining, and a child have to do what the child psychologist Piaget would call accommodating because he could no longer assimilate. But it's part of the mission.
Back with the next episode next week.
-Butterfly Bill
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