Mistress of the Ringfeatured

Tightening the laces on her knee-high black leather boots while the cheering of the crowd gathered loudly behind the curtains, it was almost time to perform the show’s final act. Her red, black, and gold sequin tailcoat beamed brightly as the finishing touches of her uniform were decisively in place. All that was left to do was to grab her top hat and cane before she ascended the stairs towards the ceiling.

In the middle of an open field located inside their tent, she marveled at the recollection of sites and wonders this traveling show had taken her on throughout its many years. Always a new city, with diverse faces, and levels of oddities that presented themselves in each moving town they wandered through. Occasionally a new act would be added to the show to cultivate the excitement of the unknown. The size of the crew grew larger as crowds of onlookers were eager to see the strange and the unique. In charge of her creatively eccentric crew, it was her job to roll out the red carpet so audiences far and wide would be open and receptive to each act that followed.

Above the crowd she watched as a burst of applause erupted for the lion tamer whose fiercest animal had climbed on top of a gigantic glowing disco ball. The lion had allowed the tamer to kiss his face while the ball slowly spun around clockwise. Maurice had always been excellent in his formal presentation and relationships with his lions and tigers. His performance was highly enjoyed by entire congregations and could now testify witness to members of the audience who were going wild with applause.

In a few short moments, the show would be over, and the final act would begin. She would be seen dangling from an aerial hoop as it descended into the circle ring below. Placing the earbud in her right ear and adjusting the microphone near her lips, she threw her body weight over the edge of the outside hoop to firmly brace herself against the metal. Silence fell among the boisterous crowd as the lights throughout the tent went dark.

Only a single spotlight appeared in the sky as she grinned ear to ear bellowing her well known familiar lines. As she spoke, her fingers would wave in front of her forehead and swoop outward into the space around her.

“Well the time has come, and we must bid you ado,
You’ve all been dears to see us through!
Remnants of the old both of the here and now,
Let us all take a moment to descent and bow.”

“To our jugglers and jokesters who like to throw pies,
From our artists of illusions and contort in the skies,
Knife throwing and swallowing sure looks like fun,
But Francis our strongman can almost lift to a ton!”

Swaying wildly side to side twenty feet in the air, she began to contort her body into the form of a “T”. Her arms spread apart wrapped firmly around the hoop as her legs hung freely below. The crowd watched carefully as her slender figure maneuvered gracefully around.

“Through every smile and each passing glance,
We hope you’ve enjoyed this sensational chance,
To view the world through a new creative lens,
And share in our excitement with a circle of friends.”

“Our oddities and differences surely make us the same,
Because our fire within feeds a benevolent flame,
Come one, Come all, whether both near and far,
As we shoot across the sky brightly lit like a star!”

Touching the ground with the tip of her left shoe she felt her decent from the ceiling had finally come to a stop. Both from the left and right side of the circle, the show’s performers greeted the crowd as they joined her in the center of the ring. Unraveling her arms and body from the aerial hoop, she accompanied her peers as they bowed together in the unison. The crowd roared with a loud applause and standing ovation.

She smiled as she looked around the tent at all the elated faces of men, women, and children who had come to the show. A sense of joy pulsated through her body as she marveled at the amount of happiness and emotion that poured out from the crowd. The last 20 years had been a remarkable experience and one she would not soon forget.  

“Thank you for your kindness. Your warm goodbye means so much to all of us here tonight. We want you to think of this place as your home away from home. Where you will always be greeted with life’s thrilling adventures. Remember to appreciate each of our differences for it is that which blends us together. The circus is within all of you as it is within each of us. Goodnight!”

Taking another group bow, each performer waved to the crowd as they disappeared from the center of the ring and through one of the side exits. After each performer had left the stage the lights within the tent quickly appeared overhead. Cheering and applause still ricocheted through the air as the crowd began to disperse.

The final act had come to a close.

To my readers, I leave you with this:

If all the world is a stage and we are its performers, what will you do once the show is over?
Will you appreciate what life has handed you?

The choice is yours.

-H 😉