Our village lay at the end of the world. Truly, the end of the world. Beyond it was nothing, apart from the shadow cast by the mountains, a sea of dark mossy trees and lakes as deep as night. The only way to reach our village was by a dusty, back- breaking track. Meaning hardly anyone ever made it there. Sometimes, a blind peddler might pass by selling ointments and potions, or books nibbled at by rats. Sometimes, a few foolhardy walkers strayed this far: it was fun terrifying them, and they were gone in a flash. But it was rare indeed for anyone to venture along the treacherous stony path.

Pa, Ma and I lived in the house at the end of the village, by the silent road where only the dust danced. Perhaps that''s why, on the day I was woken by the noise, I knew something unusual was afoot. It sounded like tumbling stones. Except it wasn''t coming from my dreams, or from the house. Although it felt that close. I stood on my bed and pressed my nose against the cold windowpane. Outside, day had yet to fall. That''s when I saw the horse-drawn waggons.

Ten of them, painted in every colour imaginable. They were towed by vast beasts with steaming pelts, and their metal-rimmed wheels made the stones on the path explode and scatter. On each waggon was written: ''THE CIRCUS OF DREAMS'' I ran out of the house. Pa and Ma were already on the terrace. They rubbed their eyes as they watched the convoy: it was as if they too could scarcely believe what they were seeing. ''What is it?'' I asked my parents. ''The circus, Otto,'' said Pa. I had never heard of a circus before, let alone seen one.

''A circus,'' Ma explained, ''is somewhere feats are performed. Extraordinary feats.'' I didn''t doubt her. I had never left our village, but what with the noise, the animals, the colours, all of this was already extraordinary. On the bench-seat of the first waggon, a man dressed in red held up a speaking trumpet: ''Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, after touring the world, after entertaining kings and queens, fools and wise men, the Circus of Dreams has arrived here today. For your delight and delectation, our artists will perform astounding acts of skill and daring--acts to make you roar with laughter and blush in fear, to make the stars tremble! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, roll up, roll up to discover the Circus of Dreams!'' I was trembling already. Like a star. Never had I gobbled my breakfast so quickly as I did that day.

I usually baulked at the heaped plates my father served me, but not this time, I didn''t leave a crumb. I was so impatient to find out what was happening in the village. With a wink, my mother released me from my chore of collecting the eggs. ''The hens can wait. They won''t make any omelettes without us, so be off with you.'' I flew like the north wind over the dusty path. When I reached the spot, night had barely risen. The waggons formed a circle, with a big black and red tent raised in the middle.

Garlands of lights were strung up all around. It was as if the stars had gathered for the evening above our village. The Man in Red climbed onto a platform in front of the big tent. ''Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, draw near, draw near!'' I pushed my way through the crowd. ''Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow, for one performance only, the fabulous artists from the Circus of Dreams will be yours to admire! As a taste of what''s to come, allow me to present our troupe.'' The artists paraded before us in turn, offering a glimpse of their acts. ''The knife-jugglers! The fire-eaters! Death-defying acrobats!'' The crowd applauded and roared in delight. As for me, I was so enthralled I forgot to clap.

When the noise had died down, the Man in Red continued: ''And finally, the crowning glory of our show, as introduced to you by our intrepid Tamer.'' I wondered what could be more exciting than the acts I''d just seen. The tent canvas opened, and a man clad from head to toe in leather pushed a cage covered in pitch-black cloth towards us. The Tamer, who was broad as a barrel, carried a long snaking whip. He tugged on his breeches and a great silence fell. The Man in Red approached us. ''Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Here it is.

Beneath this cloth. Inside this cage. You cannot see it. Not yet. But it is right here. The survivor of a primitive tribe. Neither man nor beast. Grotesque and terrifying.

In its presence, kings and queens have fainted. Wise men have become fools, and fools have become wise men. We are the envy of the world because of it. And because of it the world lives in fear. The one and only.'' The Tamer cracked his whip above our heads. ''Monster of Dreams!'' Under the black cloth, something moved. A shudder ran through the crowd.

But we didn''t see anything more that day. The Man in Red spread his arms as the Tamer made the cage vanish behind the tent canvas. ''Tomorrow, at mid-of-night, join us to discover the Monster and the Marvels from the Circus of Dreams!'' Afterwards, everybody was talking about the Monster. ''The cloth slipped, and I saw it,'' an old lady insisted. ''I saw it, I swear. And it is. it is hideous. Truly hideous!'' ''It''s wild,'' a man confirmed.

''Like the Man in Red said, it''s wilder than a wild thing. That''s why the Tamer has a whip. To make it obey. Otherwise, who knows what might happen.?'' Everybody agreed: ''Yes, it''s dangerous. Luckily, it''s locked up inside a cage.'' I had never seen any monsters, but I knew they lurked close by. In my bedroom, when sleep didn''t come easily, sometimes they made the wardrobe door squeak, sometimes they slid over the looking glass, sometimes they snuck under my bed; and when I drifted off at last, they often followed me under my eyelids, transforming my dreams into nightmares.

''Hey, Otto, word is you''re not afraid of the Monster-- right?'' came a voice from behind me. I turned around. It was Max and his mob. They sniggered and pointed at me. ''You''re not afraid of the Monster because it looks like you--word is, it''s as ugly as you,'' said Max, pulling a face. ''Mind you, it''s hard to believe two such uglies could exist at the same time.'' The others shook their heads. Max pretended to think for a moment.

''Unless. Unless it''s your brother, in that cage, over there! Yeah, that must be it. You two are brothers. Two uglies! Two Monsters!'' The others started chanting: ''Two brothers! Two ugly mugs! Two Monsters!'' ''What d''you reckon, Otto Sparrow Heart?'' ''Otto Sparrow Heart!'' echoed the others. ''Otto Sparrow Heart!'' I didn''t say anything, I stared at the ground, like I always did. I should have fought back: pushed him, smashed my fist into his face, ripped out his eyes, sunk my teeth into him until I drew blood; it''s what all the other kids would have done, it''s what Pa and Ma would have told me to do. but the truth is, I couldn''t do it. I could only stand and tremble.

''You know what we do to Monsters?'' Max asked. ''Same as for sparrows! We catch ''em. And we crush ''em!'' And off they went, howling with laughter.