The Medicine Show Sample
First Ten Pages
“We are at war with ourselves,” Levi finally concluded. Less than a mile away, a herd of goats meandered near an abandoned jailhouse that overlooked the Pacific. A torn medicine show poster was nailed to the wall of the sagging structure, shivering in the wind, its sun-bleached ink barely visible. Pomo Natives had been held there once, awaiting execution. Some had stolen food from local farms after their land had been seized, others were accused of imaginary crimes, which they had never committed. It was guilt that led the town to construct a new jailhouse on Main Street where atrocious memories could be forgotten.
In a second-story hotel room, in the town of Broken Rock, lace curtains billowed over Mary’s sleeping face. Whinnying horses in a distant corral awakened her to the promise of a new dawn. Levi, sat in the dining room below, jotting down ideas for a new pitch in the small black notebook he always carried with him:
The time has come to put away childish things
To awaken from a dreamed reality
To break addictions to archaic hoaxes
To make a sharp turn toward your better angels
To navigate the treacherous waters of ancestral baggage
To return to a simpler way of life
To mitigate your rapid advancements
To heal and forgive
A time for humility and grace
For a child-like sense of wonder
For a generosity of spirit
The time has come to embrace the plants that guide us
Back to balance with ourselves and with mother nature
On the edge of town a charred medicine show stage, set ablaze the night before, was still smoldering as the performers and crew picked through the rubble. A bald bearded man wearing an apron who was known as Cookie, packed his pots and pans into his cook’s wagon which was parked next to the show’s ornate medicine show wagon. He then climbed up onto the driver’s seat of the wagon and was about to snap the reins when the Medicine Man, Mr. Alister Finch, in his top hat and frock coat, turned and yelled, “Where in Helsinki do you think you're going?”
“I quit, That’s where,” Cookie responded indignantly. “You can’t quit, your under contract,” Alister demanded.
“Is that so? Well then I guess I’ll see you in court.”
“One measly little old fire and you up and quit?” Was Alister’s response, “I thought you were made of stronger stuff than that.”
“It goes deeper than that and you know it. And if you don’t know it, then it’s not for me to spell it out for you.”
Blueback, the show’s Native sharpshooter watched the exchange before climbing onto the cook wagon. “You too?” Alister bellowed. Blueback nodded and Cookie cracked the reins starting the wagon ambling toward town. The show’s strong man, Sven watched the departing wagon before chasing after it and jumping on the back. Alister turned to his assistant, “Oh well, let them go, this territory is burned up anyway.”
In the center of town, a middle-aged woman, Clair Wilkerson-Booth who owned the general store, stood on the porch with Noah Masterson the sheriff. They watched with curiosity as the cook wagon approached, “Well what do we have here?” Noah asked. “They’ve got some nerve showing their faces in town,” Clair responded. As the wagon drew near, two men on horseback galloped past, kicking up a cloud of dust before tying their horses and entering the hotel dining room where they sat down and yelled for service.
The cowboys calmed down as soon as Mary appeared at the top of the stairwell and began descending in her typically graceful manor. “Good morning, Doc,” She said as she sat down next to Levi, who was sometimes known as Dr. York. “Mary,” Levi responded while pouring her a cup of coffee and continuing to eat his breakfast.
“That was some performance last night. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Frankly my dear, neither did I,” he responded.
“Well it was very impressive,” Mary said.
“Tell me something Mary, what on God’s earth brought you all the way out here? Your explanation last night just didn’t cut the mustard.”
“Honestly Doc, I don't know... I thought you might need me.”
“Need you? For what?” He replied.
“I don’t know,” Mary confessed, “Maybe I’m a bit confused myself and well, who knows, maybe just a wee bit in love.”
“Oh fiddlesticks! Patients always confuse love with gratitude when they recover.”
She opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted when Cookie poked his head through the front door and asked, “Excuse me Doc, we was wondering if we could have a word with you.”
“Of course, what's on your mind, hash-slinger?” Levi responded.
Cookie, Blueback and Sven entered the dining room and remove their hats. “That was quite a feat you pulled off last night, and not a bad haul,” Cookie said.
“Thank you” Levi said as he bowed his head slightly.
“Truth be told, we were all wondering if you might be interested in expanding your operation to include a cook, sharp shooter and strong man.”
“Expand my operation? Don’t be ridiculous. I can barely manage my own affairs.” Mary reached over and squeezed Levi’s arm. "What he meant to say is, pull up a chair boys, let’s jaw about it for a while.” The three men join them at the table as Mary whispers to Levi, “Get out of that shadow dude.”
The two cowboys start pounding their table again, yelling for service until an old Proprietor comes out of the kitchen with a pot of coffee which he places on their table before taking their order. When he’s through, the proprietor comes over to Levi’s table and asks, “Now what can I get for…” he becomes awkward when he notices Blueback and quickly glanced back at the two cowboys, “I’m sorry but we don’t serve you people in here mister. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“If he leaves, we all leave,” Levi declared. This was followed by a long silence until one of the cowboys spoke up, “Get movin’ on that food you old buzzard. We don’t care about no injun’, we eat with ‘em all the time out on the trail”
“Well, if that’s the way you feel about it. I suppose we are all beholden to you, Dr. York.” the Proprietor said, “what will you all have?” Mary placed her order and Cookie added, “Just coffee for us.” The Proprietor headed back into the kitchen and Levi addressed the group, “If I were to expand, it would have to be on a speculative basis. That means a cut of the profits rather than a salary,” Cookie, Sven and Blueback looked at each other and nodded, “That’s all right by us,” Cookie said as a mysterious woman dressed as a gypsy appeared in the entrance. “Dr. York?”
“Yes, hello again,” Levi responded.
“It looks like you might be hiring,” she said, ”I’m a bit tired of working alone.”
“Watch out for her Doc,” Cookie declared, “she’s a liberated woman.”
“Who ever heard of a medicine show that included a fortune teller” Mary muttered and everyone looked at her with confused expressions.
“Pull up a chair,” Levi finally said which the Fortune Teller did, squeezing in between Mary and Levi, “What’s your name?”
“Alice Walker. I’m not really a gypsy.
“I gathered that,” Mary said.
“If I remember correctly, you did admire my tent yesterday,” Alice said.
“You do have a very attractive tent,” Levi said as he poured her a cup of coffee. “Well, here’s to new beginnings,” Cookie said after raising his cup. They all lifted the cups and responded as a group, “To new beginnings.”
-—-
Within a week, the troupe had gathered the necessary ingredients for a new batch of Levi’s ancestral elixir. They set up camp on a hill top outside of Broken Rock to begin the brewing and bottling process. Tall grass waved in the wind surrounding the Fortune teller’s tent as Cookie stirred a kettle hanging over a camp fire. Next to the tent Mary used a funnel to ladle the mixture into bottles. Blueback sat at a small table behind them pasting labels onto bottles with great care and concentration. After a long silence Cookie broke into song:
Just give me that old time religion,
give me that old time religion,
give me that old time religion, it’s good enough ‘fer me.
If the devil doesn't like it,
if the devil doesn't like it,
if the devil doesn't like it, it's good enough ‘fer me.
Finally, the tent flap opened and Levi emerged wearing a new frock coat and top hat. He walked over to the fire where Cookie poured him a cup of coffee as Sven walked up and dropped a pile of firewood on the ground.
“I feel like a fool in this getup,” Levi declared.
“I’m sorry but that’s the latest fashion for medicine men.” Cookie declared, “If it aint broke, don’t fix it, that’s what I always say.”
“I think you look very fetching,” Alice said causing Mary to spill a bit of tonic, something Alice does not fail to notice.
“Sometimes you just have to dress the part, boss,” Cookie said.
“Please don't call me that,” Levi said as he sat down and sipped his coffee.
“Somebody's got to be in charge, it’s only natural that it would be you.” Cookie replied before a hush fell over the camp. Levi looked over at Mary who smiled at him. The sound of chirping birds was interrupted when Cookie cleared his throat to speak. “Doc, would you mind if I asked you a personal question?”
“If you must,” Levi responded with some hesitancy in his voice.
“What I'd like to know is how a soft-spoken man such as yourself wound up in the medicine show racket.”
“Good question,” Mary added.
“No offense but you seem more like a regular than a pitch man, not that there's so much difference,” Cookie added.
“Come to think of it, I was wondering the same thing,” Sven said.
“The past is the past, why not leave it where it is,” Alice asserted. Mary thought about it before admitting, “I suppose there is wisdom in that."
Levi lit his pipe and gazed up at the sky before speaking, “So you want to know my creation myth, is it? I’m not very comfortable with that but maybe you’re all entitled to know the story. There is a rich history behind my grandmother’s Tonic, after all.”
“I’m sure it’s a grand story,” Cookie said as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down, “Do tell.”
“It all began along Italy’s western coast in the Mondragone region, which was occupied by the Normans at the time,” Levi said as he picked up a newly packaged bottle of his tonic and looked at the label adorned with an illustration of two monks surrounded by the text:
Two Monks Cannabis Ginseng Health Tonic
Trusted by Popes, Kings and Peasants Alike.
As he spoke they envisioned the two robed monks from the label walking along a bluff high above the Mediterranean Sea.
-—-
“Don’t be foolish,” Brother Michael said reprimanding his companion, “there’s no such thing as an infallible pope.”
“But… that's blasphemy!” Brother Peter responded with a trembling voice.
“You might as well face it,” Brother Michael replied, “Papal authority is leading us over a cliff. Not a single one of us is safe in such an environment.”
“But…” Brother Peter objected.
“No buts! Few important men are able to maintain their connection to divine guidance for longer than brief spurts.” Brother Michael continued, “We catch glimpses of life’s underlying unity but generally shy away from exposing the world of corruption that surrounds us.”
“Surely you don't mean to suggest that corruption exists within God’s only true church?” Brother Peter exclaimed.
“Your naïveté would be heartwarming if it were not so dangerous my young protégé. New experiences with the aromatic cane and sacred Muscaria will change that quite decisively. You’ll find that most spiritual traditions contain both validity and countless blemishes.”
“I’m still not sure how I feel about such plants.”
“Such plants help us detect the absurdities of human society. Someday, you and I will brew a Kaneh-bosem health tonic and fragrant anointing oil that will help humanity navigate its darkest hours.”
“I don’t envision myself participating in such an endeavor but I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors Brother Michael.”
“Before you get your undergarments in a tangle, remember that sacred plants offer a sublime window into the timeless dimension. Not one that’s large enough to climb through, mind you. Transcendence cannot be purchased any more than an eagle can force her young to fledge. Teachers and guides offer temporary shelter,” Brother Michael said, ”but our true home will always lie within.” His words were followed by silence as they listened to the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below.
“I have to say, Brother Michael, it sometimes seems as if you want to be burned at the stake.”
“Don’t be such a nervous neophyte my young friend,” Brother Michael said while patting Brother Peter on the shoulder, “I always stay one step ahead of the inquisitors.”
Brother Peter did not respond due the anxiety and discomfort welling up in him.
-—-
The troupe sat around the fire listening. “How could you possibly know what they talked about?” Mary exclaimed.
“I think I know the essence of my own family lore?” Levi responded.
“Yes, but we asked you about your story, not a bunch of wild speculations about the distant past,” Mary added.
“Personally, I was enthralled,” Cookie chimed in.
“I suppose not everyone has the same level of curiosity,” Levi said.
“Just tell it however you see fit doc, and we’ll listen,” Sven said which caused Mary to roll her eyes.
“Well, perhaps it does make sense to come back to the monks later on, once everyone is a bit more invested,” Levi conceded.
“Thank you,” Mary said under her breath.
“Let’s see,” Levi continued, “When I was a wee lad I dreamt of nothing more than becoming a sailor. I even had a beautiful skiff I salvaged on the waterfront and fixed up myself.” They all imagined Levi sailing his small boat with sails cobbled together from a patchwork of repurposed canvas. “I kept my boat in a dingy old marina on the Hudson at 96th street and taught myself the rudiments of sailing through trial and error.” Levi said, “I must have logged hundreds of miles sailing around the region. One time I made it as far as the statue of Liberty to the south and West Point to the north. Of course those were on days when there was the rare west wind and the endless tacking the Hudson generally required was miraculously lifted. I even poked my nose through hell’s gate once and into Long Island sound before heading for him through the Harlem estuary. These adventures were the highlight of my childhood but alas, my father ridiculed the idea of my becoming a sailor. He had other plans for me and was quite forceful in persuading me to become his medical apprentice. He even made me sell my beloved sailboat for good measure. To compensate I began flying a kite, but it wasn’t the same. The older I got, the more difficult it was became to truly escape my father’s clutches.”
-—-
They are transported to Levi’s childhood home, an old Victorian mansion on the upper west side of Manhattan surrounded by a white picket fence and pastures peppered with livestock. A sign hung next to the front gate which read: DR. Samuel York, Physician, Dentist and Certified Phrenologist.
The twelve year old Levi flew his kite in the meadow next to the house with his father’s child servant, Chauncey, egging him on. “Levi! Where in heaven's name did you get to?” Samuel York called from the house, “Come hither this instant!” Levi handed the kite string to Chauncey and entered the house.
Inside the examination room Levi’s father leaned over his hapless patient looking like a bird of prey, his apron splattered with blood. Levi winced at the sound of blood draining into a metal pan. The patient squirmed and resisted until finally passing out. “Well, don't just stand there with your tail between your legs, Levi, come
closer, take a good look,” Samuel commanded, “You'll never become a doctor by hiding in the shadows.”Yes, Father,” Levi said as he inched closer. His father revived the patient with smelling salts.
Levi watched in horror as his father continued the bloodletting until he finally placed his hand over his mouth and ran out of the room. Samuel took a swig from a flask and slapped his patient across the face to revive him again, “Such a frail specimen that boy is. Not like in our day, aye?” He slapped his patient on the back, “Have a snort?” The man shook his head before passing again. After getting sick outside Levi ran to his bedroom, threw himself onto the bed and sobbed into his pillow. All the while his kite wafted on a breeze just outside the window.
Later that night Levi sat at one end of the long dining room table with his father at the other while Chauncey stood between them holding a wine decanter, “Another please, Chauncey. I shouldn’t have to ask you. When you see my glass is empty offer more.” Chauncey filled Samuel’s glass with wine.
“Father, would you mind if I used your old microscope?” Levi asked, “You know, the one in the attic that you don't use any more.”
“I’m afraid you're too young for such a delicate instrument. When you're of age you'll be packed off to medical school where they'll provide you with everything you need,” Samuel responded as he downed his wine in a single gulp and looked at Chauncey who quickly refilled his glass.
“I just thought it would be interesting to experiment,” Levi said sheepishly.
“Science is not something to keep you entertained, Levi. If you wish to join my venerable profession you need to abandon such childish experimental impulses once and for all.”
“Yes father,” Levi said quietly and continued eating in silence.
“I didn't hear you,” Samuel barked.
“YES FATHER!”
“Always enunciate. You can bet Benjamin Rush never garbled his words. And don't dip your bread into the soup, it’s not proper. You need to masticate my boy, always masticate.” Samuel finished his wine and tapped the top of his glass with his fork to get Chauncey’s attention. “Let us not dishonor Mr. Fletcher’s painstaking work educating the public about mastication.”
After they finished eating, Samuel began dozing off in his seat. Levi cleared his throat to awaken him before speaking, “May I please be excused?
“What’s that? You haven't finished your supper,” Samuel said absent mindedly. “Yes, I have,” Levi protested. Chauncey shook his head with an empathetic smile. “Very well then, you may be excused,” Samuel said as Levi slipped out of his chair. “One moment Levi,” Samuel added.
“Yes father?”
“You have my permission to enter the library and look over my medical volumes."
“Yes father,” Levi said and walked into the library looking scared.
“One more and I’ll call it a night… Come, come, don’t drag your feet, boy.” Chauncey filled his glass again.
Levi paged through one of Samuel’s medical books in the library, pausing briefly on a portrait of Benjamin Rush. He flipped through pages filled with gruesome illustrations depicting bloodletting techniques from leaches to long needles and other terrifying instruments. He then came to an illustration of Rush's tranquilizer chair with straps and a wooden box that acts as a hood. Another illustration depicted a chair that is suspended so that the patient can be spun in circles at high speeds.
Levi slammed the book shut and buried his head in his hands as Samuel watched him through the door and shook his head. When his father entered the room Levi put the book back on the shelf and headed upstairs. Samuel poured himself some brandy and dropped into his favorite chair yelling after Levi. “Those health reformers your grandmother is so fond of are a bunch of money grubbing charlatans. I just thought you might need a reminder.”
Levi paused half way up the stairwell to respond, “Yes, father.”
“This may sound harsh, Levi but, your Grandmother is a bit witchy. The sooner you get that through your skull the better.”
“Yes father,” Levi responded and waited a moment before adding, “I’m going to bed now.”
