by Leona Fox
People poured out of the other shops as well and the crowd grew and grew until everyone was moving along with the same happy tune in their heart. The romp-pomp-pomp flew through the air and Ellen walked to the main street with wide eyes, longing to see that which had been absent from her life for years. Already the streets were lined with people and she could see all the children on the edge of the sidewalk, pointing with wonder in their eyes, and she remembered feeling that way herself when she was little. Their parents held them back, for if they had not it was likely the kids would have sprinted into the street.
There were so many people that it felt like the entire town had turned out, and East Pender was coming to a standstill because of this troupe. In the distance Ellen could see the band approaching, feathers sprouting from their heads as they played the music. Behind them came a long train of vans and wagons and trucks, all colored in red and yellow, promising excitement, adventure, and laughter.
Ellen pushed her way toward the front of the crowd, unable to quell the joyous feeling in her heart as she surprised other adults with her fervor. Kelly was struggling to keep up with her and was lost farther back in the crowd. Now that the parade was closer the music had reached almost deafening levels but nobody seemed to mind.
Around the sides of the wagons Ellen could see a few figures leaping about, although she couldn't make out any finer details yet. However, she did see that one man was standing on stilts, towering up so high he looked as though he could have tugged a cloud from the sky.
“I never knew you loved the circus so much,” Kelly said as she finally made her way back to Ellen's side. Her face was red after having had to exert herself to push through the crowd and join her friend.
“It's the greatest show on Earth,” Ellen replied, not taking her eyes off the parade for she was transfixed.
“I used to like the circus as well until I found out about how they treated their animals. That pretty much ruined the whole thing for me.”
“Things have changed. Most of the circuses aren't like that anymore. They focus on the skills of the performers rather than training animals to do tricks. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us,” she said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Kelly laughed softly, amused at Ellen's hypnotic state, for she never had seen her friend react to anything like this before. The music faded a little as a booming voice came through two megaphones that were sitting atop the first van, blaring out so that everyone could hear.
“Hello to all you lovely people! Yes, it is true, your eyes do not deceive you. The circus has come to town! Wave to us as we pass by but be sure to come and see us in our big top in Freedom Park. We will be there all week, offering to show you things the likes of which you never have seen before. We will dare to do the impossible and you never will forget the experience that the Red State Circus will give you! Enjoy the show.”
The words were followed by a hearty laugh and the music struck up again. By now the slow convoy had reached Ellen and she peered into the window, where she saw the man who had been speaking. He looked to have a thin face with a curled pencil mustache. She recognized him as the person who had popped into the cafe recently to hand out leaflets for the circus.
One by one, the vans and wagons and trucks all passed by, painted on the side with pictures of the acts. A few of them were standing up through the roofs of the vans, waving down to the people as though they were royalty. The sparkling costumes shimmered in the sun and everyone pointed in astonishment at these larger-than-life figures. Around the wagon there were some clowns causing mischief, rolling about and hiding from each other, running in between the vehicles manically, causing everyone to howl with laughter.
The vehicles themselves were different types. Most were vans, but there were a couple of trucks that held the equipment. Ellen wondered what it must have been like to travel in a convoy like this all over various countries. There was one long truck and this must have been for the big top, although it was being kept under green tarpaulin for the time being.
When the convoy had reached a certain point it stopped and all the performers jumped down to greet the crowd. They made their way around the street shaking hands and smiling widely, all except one. A girl remained standing atop the roof of a van, shining in the sun, and Ellen recognized her from the leaflet as Aurora the Angel. She was a young girl and she looked almost ethereal in her silver leotard and platinum hair. Everyone gazed up at her as she did a flip, landing expertly. Applause rippled through the crowd, and she again moved with almost supernatural grace, catching the attention of everyone, including the circus performers. From just one look Ellen could tell she was special, the star of the show.
Aurora curtsied and then disappeared back into the van to another round of applause, and the other performers caught the attention of the crowd. Without all the circus equipment some of them only could leap about, but there were jugglers and a fire breather, and these made the people of East Pender go 'ooh' and 'aah'. They spoke in a variety of accents, although most of them sounded Russian, and they seemed to keep a steady rhythm. They all had high energy levels, and seemed as excited as the crowd to be there, although as Ellen looked more closely some of them seemed dead in the eyes. She imagined the life of a circus performer was in some ways similar to that of a cafe owner, in that they always had to be friendly with people even if they weren't in that particular mood.
Soon enough the performers were back in the vans and the convoy moved off again. The loud voice shouted out the times of the shows and ticket information, and from what she could tell Ellen figured they were going to be in high demand. The music grew louder and louder once again as the circus made its way into the park, many people following to see them setting up their equipment. Ellen watched everyone flood behind but she took a moment to enjoy the feeling of nostalgia that washed over her.
“You are really happy about this, aren't you?” Kelly said.
“It's been years since I've seen a circus, I'd almost forgotten how much fun they are,” she replied.
It wasn't long before Andy came up to them. The chief of police had been making sure nothing bad happened, as he always was wary when a large crowd gathered.
“This is going to be fun,” he said in a dry tone. Ellen pouted toward him.
“Don't be such a grump, just enjoy what the circus has to offer!” she said.
“I don't know, it's never good news when a large group like this comes to town. You always hear stories, you know?...We don't know anything about them.”
“We know they're going to make a lot of people happy, and that's good enough for me,” Ellen said.
“I'm surprised you're here, though, I would have thought you'd be following the crowd. Wouldn't want them to get away from you.”
“I've got Iris on it, I think she can handle it,” Andy said, referring to his deputy who he had taken under his wing. Ellen still was unsure about Iris. The young woman often was too rigid in her way of thinking, especially when it came to the procedure of solving a crime, but there was hope for her yet.
“I sure hope she can, because there's going to be at least one night when we are going to go to the circus,” Ellen proclaimed, sliding her arm around Andy's.
They began walking slowly toward the park, far behind everyone else. After the excitement some people had returned to their stores, having seen all they wanted to see, but for others the adventure still was beginning as they longed to be around the circus. Kids were dragging their parents to the park and the air still was filled with their gleeful cheers and laughs.
“We are?” Andy said, trying to look to Kelly for some salvation, but he would not find it from her.
Kelly was intrigued as much by Ellen's response as she was by the circus’ arrival. She was glad for the distraction because Ellen definitely could use some downtime after the stress of being arrested under suspicion of murder, a fact that had taken its toll on Ellen and Andy's relationship. However, the two of them were back
to their usual happy selves. It would take much more than that to challenge their love.
“Oh yes, we most definitely are,” Ellen said, and Scampy yapped as if to agree with her.
“Well, how could I possibly argue with that?” Andy said and sighed as he fell into step with Ellen and the three of them walked forward.
“I think we both know you never should never argue with me,” Ellen teased.
It was rare that something like the circus should come through East Pender. Most of the time it was a forgotten town, and the city would have been a far more profitable venture. Yet, for the Red State Circus, taking their show to small towns was just as important as playing to the large crowds of the city. For them, it harked back to a time when the circus was in its heyday. A time when there were not any distractions like the internet or television or even movies. The only place to see the circus was at the circus, and being in East Pender was a reminder of those halcyon days.
The lush green grass sank as heavy poles were placed carefully. The vans stopped moving. Crates and luggage were carried out as all the performers pitched in to get the circus ready. This was a much different show than Hollywood. The stars here had to muck in and get their hands dirty, unlike in the movies where they were stuck in their luxury trailers and dressing rooms, removed from the rigors of reality.
But the circus provided an escape for the people of East Pender. The close-knit community had suffered much with the crimes that Ellen had to solve, and it had been a blow to see Ray killed. The memorial service for him had been attended by almost the whole town and a visit from the circus was the ideal thing to lift their spirits and sprinkle a little bit of magic over their lives.
Chapter 2
“So neither of you two are big fans of the circus?” Ellen asked as the three of them sauntered along, keeping an eye on Scampy as he got caught up in all the excitement and bounded around, yapping loudly.
“I've never actually been,” Andy said. Ellen stopped and stared at him in disbelief.
“I have been!” Kelly said. “A long time ago...it was okay. I didn't really like the clowns...but that seems to be a common thing.”
“I think that's more because of Stephen King than anything else. Poor clowns have had so much grief because of him. It's amazing. But Andy, seriously, you've never been to the circus? How is that even possible?”
“I don't know. I guess when I was younger we just had different things going on. I'm sure it came to town once but I think we just missed it.”
Ellen sighed, and looked disappointed in him. “Well, at least I get to show you what it's all about. You know, I find it depressing how little love the circus gets. I mean, I know there was a lot of trouble with how the animals were treated but the industry really has changed that, and it's not like they were the only ones who treated animals poorly before we knew any differently. I really feel like it's one of the most overlooked things in the world. It's part of our cultural psyche but only in the most general terms. Like how many movies or books are about the circus? Not many.”
“That's probably because it's something of a bygone era. Are there even many circuses in the world right now?” Kelly asked.
“And like I said, there are just more options nowadays. Sometimes things like these just need to die out.”
“Actually, I was doing some reading and the circus is undergoing something of a renaissance. Obviously it changed forms with things like the Cirque du Soleil, but I think there's a movement to bring it back. I get the feeling that as a culture we're trying to resist getting too obsessed with technology, with losing ourselves in virtual worlds. There's something to be said for going out and sitting in a crowd, watching a show unfold before your very eyes.”
“You read about this stuff? I knew you were always a bit of a geek, Ellen, but I didn't realize it had gone this far,” Kelly said.
“I have a wide variety of interests,” Ellen said pointedly, “and the history of the circus is rather fascinating if you look into it. I primarily was reading about the circus in Europe as that has the most written about it. It's fascinating to see how it evolved and rose, and eventually fell...and how now it's rising again. Of course, the first clown was Joseph Grimaldi, who had his own show, and that was a product from his days in the theater, as there was always a jester-type character. Even though that was the tradition, the clowns as we know them today are descended from Grimaldi, he had a very sorry life and ended up dying alone and destitute, unable to work because he basically crippled himself. That's the other thing people don't quite realize as well. There's so much dedication and work that goes into these acts, it's nice for them to get some appreciation. It's not like the skills they develop are that transferable.”
“I admit it's something a bit different but is there really a need for it anymore? I'm not begrudging them their livelihood, but you make it sound as though it's this deep cultural need and I'm just not seeing it,” Andy said.
“I'm not saying there's a need necessarily, just that the circus offers something different from anything else out there and we should encourage that. It speaks to the American dream more than anything else, I think, and it's a shame it largely has been replaced by Hollywood. Take this, for example. The dream now is to go to Hollywood and become an actor or actress, right? To run away from everything, you know, in search of stardom and fame, but for the most part you hear stories of how those dreams go wrong; how people get involved with the wrong crowd and they end up using drugs or just falling into oblivion. But the old dream was running away with the circus, and you never heard bad things about that!” Ellen said, speaking effusively and passionately, her eyes alive and dancing.
“Well then, perhaps you should try getting in touch with Paul to see if he wants to make a movie about the circus,” Andy said. Ellen rolled her eyes.
“I don't think I'll be getting in touch with him anytime soon. He seemed to have had enough of this town and I think we all can say we had had enough of him. Besides, he's far too busy with that film of his. It looks like it's proving to be popular.”
“How do you know?” Andy asked, narrowing his eyes.
“There is this thing called the internet. I know I don't live in the city anymore but that doesn't mean I don't take interest in certain news items. You didn't really think I wasn't going to follow the progress of this movie, did you?” Ellen challenged.
“I was hoping everyone here would ignore it,” Andy grumbled.
“Just because there's a character based on you doesn't mean you have a right to decide how the film gets used, or who takes an interest in it.”
“I just hope people don't get wind of it here. That's the last thing I need. It's already bad enough that the book club had their analysis of it. I dread to think what a film could mean.”
“I don't think you've got a say in that, given that Paul Diamond came here himself. The mayor is going to make a big deal out of it,” Kelly said.
“Hell, I'm sure he'll try his best to get Paul to return and treat it like a premiere.”
Andy grimaced at that. “Well, let’s focus on one problem at a time, shall we?”
“I'd hardly call the circus a problem,” Ellen said.
“We'll see,” Andy said, remaining unconvinced.
“Actually, I'm glad they stopped using animals as a major part of the show. I'd hate to see the damage an elephant could do to the town.”
“Speaking of elephants there's a funny story I heard about the circus. It was traveling in England, or maybe Scotland, and I was going to a small, out of the way town like this one. They sent forward loads of posters to advertise the circus, and one of their main attractions was an elephant who could play the piano. Now, obviously was this back in the day before most people could travel and there weren't as many zoos around. So an elephant by itself was an attraction, let alone one that could play the piano! Because of this everyone in the town was excited when the circus finally came, and the opening night was sold out. Everyone was talking
with each other and wondering if this really was going to be an elephant that played the piano, because none of them could believe it. But, sure enough, there was a piano sitting in the middle of the ring.
Well, the ringmaster came out and greeted everyone and did his thing, and then said the show would be underway soon. He asked for everyone to try remaining calm when the elephant came out, as it was a little skittish and there needed to be quiet to hear the performance. Everyone was on the edge of their seat. It took everything they had not to make any noise when the elephant finally was led out, which was a big thing as it was the first time everyone there ever had seen an elephant. Anyway, the handler led the elephant to the piano and everyone leaned in so they could hear the elephant play, when suddenly the elephant turned and ran backstage. Well, nobody knew if this was part of the show and they looked at each other in confusion, hoping that the elephant would just come out again. But the handler looked confused and the ringmaster came out looking angry. They shouted at each other and then the handler whispered something into the ringmaster's ear.
The ringmaster looked down and the handler went backstage to attend to the elephant. The ringmaster came up into the middle of the ring and sighed, looking up at everyone who had come to witness this miracle. 'I must apologize,' he said. 'She was ready to play for you tonight but, unfortunately, it seems as though she recognized her mother in the keys,” and at this Ellen doubled over in laughter, while Andy and Kelly looked at her with raised eyebrows.
“Come on!” Ellen said as she saw their non-reaction, “that actually happened! Can you believe what it was like for those people in the crowd who had come to see that elephant play the piano, and then you get told that? I'm surprised there weren't riots!” she said, and collapsed in laughter again. Even Scampy looked at her strangely, and they walked on in silence while Ellen giggled to herself.
When they reached the park they were thrust into a world of chaos. People were moving about all over the place. Orders were yelled as the big top was carried out, and scaffolding was put into place. The rows of seats were all set out, ready to be put into place. Soon enough this would be an arena of dreams, and it already was making the park unrecognizable.