Dear readers, tonight with us is a young man, fascinated by historical circus wagons at the edge of town. He’s here to speak about claimed of an enchanted circus, abandoned mansions, and the blurring lines between villains and sidekicks.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there? Any cherished memories?

That seems a bit nosy. I grew up same as everyone else, I suppose. And I cherish each memory. Why do you ask? What are you fishing for?  

At any rate, I don’t like talking about the past. The now is what matters, that and the future. The rest is in, well, the past. Let’s leave it there.

What do you do now?

I’m a private investigator, looking into the disappearance of the Circus of Strange Marvels and the night of the fire while doing simple upkeep at the abandoned Trencher mansion. My unfortunate roommate Fancy is no help, and the witnesses are unreliable and few.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

I’m sure you heard of it. The supposed hauntings, the claims of magic. Other than that, what else is there to say? The walls can’t talk and the people won’t. But sooner or later, something has gotta come out. And when it does I’ll be there, ready to jot it down.

What did you first think when you read about the night of the fire?

There’s so mystical an air around it that the only guesses are practically a fairy tale. Even the newspapers bought into the hype…what sort of journalist does that? And of course there’s no proof. Everyone loves a good story, but there’s a reasonable explanation underneath all the vanishing people and fresh corpses. In time, I’ll find it and watch the magic crumble.

What was the scariest thing in your adventures?

I’ll have to go with the torture. RaeChaeline claims that she’s an inexperienced torturer, but as an inexperienced torturee, I gotta say she played the part well. Let’s never do that again.

What is the worst thing about being a private investigator?

Keeping your stories straight. What was said and who knows what, or more importantly who doesn’t know… It’s a lot to juggle. Got any jugglers around to show me the ropes?

At any rate, I’m surrounded by liars and I’m a liar myself, so there’s a lot to keep track of. I guess that makes writing it down so important, go figure.

What is the best thing about it?

Having a sidekick, even an abrasive know-it-all one. It feels familiar. Not sure what that says about me, if it means something, but there it is. Fancy has me wrapped around her finger, and that’s probably a dangerous place to be, yet here I am.

Tell us a little about your friends.

Firstly, let’s get this straight: I wouldn’t dare call any of these people friends.

There’s the tight-lipped Trenchers who I am trying and failing to buddy up to. My roommate Fancy is full of stories, just not the answers I want to hear. She’s leading me down whatever rabbit trails she has, getting me locked up, sending me to her torture-happy friend RaeCh. Oh yeah, RaeChaeline and Dr. Evil with their corpse in the freezer…yikes! Then there’s Nick who’s been locked up, Phoebe and Analiese and of course Julia missing, and a dead body in the field. What a pal.

Friends? What friends?

What’s your favourite relaxing pastime?

I write everything down. “Nature of the job,” you might say, and sure. But it’s more than that. I need to write. I have to have my notes, to know that there’s a record of what I’ve done, who I’ve been, and who these people are to me. I can’t forget these details, these fragments of a life that make me who I am, ya know?

What does the future hold for you? Can you share a secret you’ve never told anyone else?

Ahh, we’re back to Fancy’s question: “What are you gonna do when you find out you were never a part of the circus?” I’m still in denial about that, but honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think any of us know what to do after what happened.

But I’m gonna find out and make a life for myself, poking at each lie one by one until I find the truth. The cops are circling after finding the corpse (no, not that one, the other one. The other other one…), and I’m teaming up with the most unlikely of characters to avoid being locked up for a crime I didn’t commit. And don’t get me started on the whole spider situation!

Amy L. Sauder is a creative and a writer of introspective psychological stories, including the Unfixed series and the quirky mystery “I Know You Like a Murder.” She lives on the edge of an enchanted wood with her husband Josh and her mannequin Delilah.

You can meet Max on the pages of Unfixed.

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