Michael Praed, Brother Jon. Carnival Set-Up

Michael gave his hair a quick brush, promised his stomach something to eat later, and decided it was time to go. The sun was almost up -- he stifled a groan at that thought -- and first shift security should be outside already. They'd be letting in the people working set-up and Michael and Jon needed to be down there to make sure everything went together smoothly. "Into the breach," he muttered to himself, and headed out the door.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Jon stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, watching it mist over as he exhaled and wiping it away with his sleeve. Okay young feller, he told himself. You can do this. Everything is organized all you have to do is supervise! Yeah, right, the devil in his head was quick to respond. And fix mistakes and find the lost, mend the broken, comfort, cajole and communicate with people. Afraid he was going to start hyperventilating if he thought about it any more, Jon girded his loins, picked up his pens, sheets and folders-stuffed haversack and, with one last look at the scared young man in the mirror, headed out to begin managing his first Carnival.

( ''I don't care if they have to hike in from Sedat, we are not going to fill every parking place within a kilometer with staff cars, so move them.'' )