Astute to a fault, was Carniverme, pronounced Car-nev-er- may,
Up and down the line where his minions occupied slots of reticence like just so many power sockets along the base of any elongate wall, normally corridors.
Sprinklers check, outlets check, ducts for release of stale air check, inboard valves for applicable spray nozzles check, cylindrical freestanding slender laughing gas cannisters check, red rubber noses individually cellophane wrapped clear as rosy glass check, bozo mime hand gloves of white check, and check as well countless narcisissts’ thrones of fake gold, painted like bridles of carousel horses, check, shining calliope cymbles, the sirens marking clown car travels to uselessly inept bombshelters, root cellarlike doors battened down for storm by crystal balls in bunches like red ornament blood, corpuscles of woe, boss in toe, the inimitable Carnivore crawling….
