A night at the circus (Five minutes

marie-jay (61)in #freewrite • 5 years ago (edited)

‘Show must go on’, said the totally unimaginative and more than slightly uncaring circus manager, Signor Luigi, when he heard his clown had been taken to the hospital. He did not stop to ask what was wrong with the man, as he had more pressing worries, like who was going to do the opening act. Quite a problem since he did not have many acts to begin with, which explains why he needed a strong performance to captivate the audience and make them ignore the many failings of the show.
It had to be Tina, the monkey that never failed to entertain with her adorable antiques. Much as she hated most of the routine, except for throwing banana peels at the audience, the little monkey was happy to get the coveted top spot. Maybe it is a bit too much, putting such a complex and definitely human thought in the brain of a monkey, but, in her own way, Tina was able to grasp the fact that the first performer in the arena always got rapturous applause, as the crowd was still fresh and their expectations were yet to be let down. Being loved by the public meant being loved by Signor Luigi, not that he actually showed any feelings, but at least he was smart enough to give better food and better treatment to his star performer.
The monkey had worked hard enough to master the art of riding a small specially-designed bike, while waving to the crowd. The children loved her smile, after all anyone knows animals do not smile, and Tina had no interest and no means to let them know it was in fact a grin masking the pain in her left leg. Most of all, she didn’t want the manager to find out about her leg, because she remembered what happened with the tiger when he couldn’t perform anymore. Really, who’s going to be afraid of a tiger that shuffles after its prey? The tiger was sold to an eccentric millionaire who liked to boast of his own private Zoo. All the tiger was required to do was act scary when the guy had guests and he’d found a simple trick, letting the animal go hungry for a day so it would growl in a most ferocious manner. Tina was sure she could hear the tiger pleading and begging for food, but nobody asked her. She was there with her master to provide additional entertainment, by sipping wine with the guests, dressed in a fetching green dress, perched on a high stool. Although it made her sick afterwards, the wine was nice. What she did not like was smoking, the smell made her want to throw up and the stuff burnt her throat, but she had learned how to take the cigarette to her mouth with the deliberate grace of an experienced whore. Many of the young ladies at the Zoo party were delighted with the monkey that acted so like a human, not realizing Tina was copying them.

The night she was entrusted with opening the show, Tina put on a brilliant act, riding her bike in perfect circles before stopping besides her master and climbing on his shoulder. That was not part of the act, but Signor Luigi humored her. The children adored her and in his line of business that was what mattered most. She made the children laugh when the pitiful jugglers put on their act, which was frankly terrible, but times were hard and Signor Luigi couldn’t afford better. The monkey was trained to cry in surprise and clap vigorously when the magician pulled a cute rabbit out of his top hat, distracting the crowd so they would not notice the fluffy little thing was actually stuffed.
The ponies did not need her help, everybody loves ponies and they did a passable act pretending to dance in pairs.
Then came the main attraction of the show, the fearsome lion, Max, which had cost Signor Luigi a fortune, although it wasn’t quite clear where he had bought it. Many in the animal trade like to keep a low profile and, anyway, Signor Luigi’s circus was so second rate nobody bothered to ask him anything.
Tina remembered the time when Max had been brought to their little menagerie and the many hours Signor Luigi had put in his training. And the beatings, of course, but that’s life, some animals are quicker than the others. Tina was smart and still it had been quite hard for her to learn how to act like a human. Max was stubborn and would not accept life would be much easier if he learned to follow a few simple orders. Jumping through the hoops wasn’t that difficult a trick, yet Signor Luigi had to use the whip copiously until the beast gave in. To this day, Max still winced when he heard the whip swoosh. Signor Luigi did it deliberately, to make the people laugh, somehow they felt liberated to see that even the king of the jungle had his fears.

As a professional courtesy, Tina took to the back of the arena, to give Max the hard-earned limelight. The young animal moved with grace and his jumps were flawless. The second part of the act was even more impressive, as the hoops were set on fire and, as Signor Luigi reminded the audience, all animals are afraid of fire. Max was no exception and Signor Luigi felt he need to be reminded of the whip. On that night, he miscalculated and, instead of swooshing by the beast’s ear, the whip licked across his muzzle. All the pent-up anger exploded in that instant and with one long jump, Max was at the man’s throat. When he finally raised his bloodied muzzle, Max locked eyes with Tina, frozen on her high-stool. Just a few seconds, but enough to recognize the shared feeling of hatred for the dead man. Liberated of their animal fear, the two of them bonded over and delighted in this newly discovered and so very human feeling: hate! Signor Luigi had taught them well!