by Lollie Barr
Everyone says my sister is pretty. She has long white-blonde hair, green eyes and a smile that looks like her mouth is two sizes too big for her face. Maybe her face will grow into her mouth one day? I hope so, for her sake. Dad says she looks like our mum but I don’t remember Mum well enough to tell. They do look alike in photos. Those are the only memories that I have of Mum.
People think Dad and I look really alike because we’re both quite skinny, with light brown hair and blue eyes. They say things like, ‘chip off the old block’ and other weird stuff.
‘Whoa, freaky! Look, Benny, a talking table!’ I said, picking the bowl that was resting between my sister’s ribs. Benny laughed too. He has the best laugh. It sounds like he has an echo chamber in his throat, then it stops, as if he’s choking, then it starts again. Everyone laughs when Benny laughs, even Jem, but she wasn’t laughing today.
‘Idiot,’ said Jem, so I tickled her under the armpits to cheer both of us up. That didn’t make her laugh either; instead she unfurled herself in a huff.
‘You’re lucky Blindfold didn’t think your leg was a table leg and pee on it!’ I said, bending over and patting Blindfold, who responded with a big wet kiss on my face. Some people are weird about dog spit, but I don’t mind Blindfold’s kisses; actually, I love them but not when he puts his tongue on my tongue. Tongue kissing your dog is disgusting!
Dad says Blindfold is a bitza, bits of this and bits of that. I got him when he was just a little puppy. He turned up at the circus as a stray and we couldn’t find anyone who had lost him. It was me who named him Blindfold, because he is a tan colour with a big black mask across his face as if he’s wearing a blindfold. How amazing is it that Blindfold turned out to be brilliant at stunts, too? Dad and I did train him, but he did most of it himself.
Blindfold loves being on my motorbike. He sits on the back and puts his right paw over my right shoulder and his left paw over my left shoulder to grip on. Sometimes he scratches me with his claws because he’s gripping on so tight.
He can ride a skateboard, plus he’s a good dancer and nods his head in time to music – but only if it’s rock, the heavier the better; like me, he hates pop music and always leaves the room when it comes on the radio. You know how I said Benny was my best friend? Well, Blindfold is my best, best friend, but don’t tell Benny, who is my best friend.
‘Blindfold isn’t as stupid as you, Stunt Boy,’ said Jem.
She was probably right. Blindfold is smarter than me because he understands human but I can’t understand dog. When I call Blindfold’s name he understands and comes over, but when Blindfold barks my name I can’t understand him. I wish I could speak dog. I don’t think there’s one human who can, so dogs must be smarter.
I’m not sure he’s cleverer than Benny, though, because Benny knows heaps about science. When we were getting our breakfast he told me the sun is really green! He said it just looks yellow because its light is dispersed when it hits the atmosphere and that’s what makes the sky blue.
Jem cupped her forehead in her palm as if her head was too heavy for her neck.
‘What’s up, Jem?’ asked Benny, who’s always soft and sensitive around my sister.
‘Yeah Jem, what’s up?’ I asked, a little concerned. As much as my sister was annoying and bossy, it made me feel really down when she was upset. I got a weird feeling inside, like chopsticks were being poked through my ribs into my heart.
‘Well, the thing is –’ said Jem, then stopped. ‘Never mind, Stunt. It’s not something for you to worry about.’
‘Jem!’ I demanded, sticking my lip out and getting a bit angry. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Okay, okay,’ she replied, letting out a little sigh of sadness. ‘There have been rumours floating around that Barry Chesterley has been offering our people jobs.’
‘But Chesterley hates our circus! He thinks we’re freaks. Why would he want our people?’
‘Before Dad’s accident we were playing to packed houses. Chesterley’s not stupid. He knows kids would rather see humans perform in a circus than wild animals, so he’s trying to take advantage of the situation and steal our acts because Dad isn’t here to stop him.’
‘But no one at Stoked would work for Chesterley!’ I said, getting angrier. ‘They’re our family!’
‘Stoked is going broke, Stunt Boy. We can’t go out on the road and leave Dad here alone and we would need a really big headliner to get audiences back. Ginger has called a meeting at midday,’ Jem said, the weight of the world making her lose her usually perfect posture and hunch forward. ‘Everyone is going to be there.’
Could things really have gotten any worse? First, there was my dad’s so-called accident and now Barry Chesterley was coming after our people. But I couldn’t just sit there and let Stoked Stunt Circus disappear forever without doing anything.
‘Well, I’m coming to the meeting. I can’t believe everyone was invited apart from me and Blindfold,’ I said before Benny looked at me kind of dejected, his mouth turning downwards, so I added. ‘And Benny.’
P.S. My injury list:
* Broken wrist
* Cut above the eyebrow (I still have the scar)
* Two cracked ribs
3
Someone tried to kill my dad!
At midday, Jem, Benny, Blindfold and I walked through the deserted circus to the big top, where everyone was already seated and waiting. There was a strange hushed atmosphere when we walked in, as if you could sense the despair in the air.
The big top was never quiet like this, even on a Sunday. Normally, there would be loud music blaring as girls did tricks on their solo trapezes or were wrapped up in silks ten metres in the air, whilst our catcher, Muscly Mikey Devlin, hung from his knees on the swing, waiting to catch the next trapeze artist flying through the air. There would be people climbing poles, kneeling on one another’s backs, forming sky-high human pyramids, hooping hula hoops, juggling knives and chainsaws, nestling swords in their gullets, chilling out on beds of nails, all as the sound of motorbikes roared around the Wheel of Death and our riders performed their aerial gymnastic stunts off the bike ramps.
Everyone would be joking and laughing and chatting away, but not today. The twenty-two cast and crew from Stoked Stunt Circus were sitting in the front section of the dress circle in silence. The aerial artists, Leonie Carter, Blueberry, Mellie Bellie, Muscly Mikey D and Zoe were there, as was Fat Fred, the sword swallower, Master of Ceremonies Pikelet, Dad’s motocross stunt team – Biker Pete Jones, Hayley Letters and Dirk Flannery – our head mechanic Lefty Blue Eye, the rigging guys, the sound and lighting team, the kitchen crew, and Ginger Styles, who was standing in the middle of the ring, microphone in hand, chatting with Sue the Bearded Lady.
Everyone said sad little ‘Heys’ and ‘Hellos’ when we walked in and we said ‘Hey’ back, but not in a happy way.
‘Hey, guys,’ said Ginger, the spotlight making her red hair look as if there was a small camp fire on top of her head. She turned and whispered to Sue, ‘I don’t know if it’s appropriate for the kids to be here for this,’ but the microphone picked up her words and broadcast them to the entire circus troupe.
I hate it when adults talk about kids like we aren’t there, as if we’re ghosts or they’re talking in French and we can’t understand them.
‘Of course they should be here,’ said Fat Fred, who was actually really skinny, but he could fit twenty-five swords in his body. He’d been in the Guinness Book of World Records for sword swallowing back in the 1980s. I once asked him why he was called Fat Fred when he was so skinny. He replied that the name was ironic, which means that even though he is skinny he gets called Fat.
‘To be fair, it’s their dad and their circus we’re talking about,’ boomed Pikelet, a fully grown man who was just over four foot three tall.
‘And by the way, Ginger,’ said Jem, using the voice she u
ses to tell me off. ‘I’m not a kid, I’m sixteen years old.’
Technically, I was still a kid so I didn’t say anything, but there was no way they were going to get rid of me. After all, it was my family’s circus. Benny just looked down because he wasn’t officially a part of the Stoked Stunt Circus and he was a kid, so he wasn’t supposed to be here at all. Except he was my best friend, and there was no way they were going to get rid of him either.
‘Okay, but we still have to talk honestly and openly,’ said Ginger, who was even bossier than Jem. She liked to boss my dad about, even though he was her boss. Sometimes they argued like a married couple. Jem reckoned Ginger would like to be married to my dad, which gave me the horrors because she was always going on about money and how much everything costs.
‘As you all know, we’ve had a terrible time at the box office since Evan’s accident and all the bad publicity,’ Ginger said. ‘I appreciate that you weren’t paid for last week and I just want to thank everybody for hanging in there with us. Now, for further bad news, I had a meeting with the bank manager today and if we continue to default on the loan Evan took out last year, then we will be in real trouble. The bank is threatening to repossess our equipment to pay the debt. That means everything . . . caravans, generators, tents, motorbikes. They’ve even threatened to sell the land.’
I felt as though I had been punched in the gut, like the time Benny accidentally elbowed me in the solar plexus when we were wrestling. It took me a full fifteen minutes to breathe properly again. What do they mean take our land? It was our land! And how could they sell our caravans? Where would we live? And as far as taking our motorbikes, that was non-negotiable.
‘My dad will be better soon,’ I said, jumping up from my seat. ‘If we don’t have our motorbikes, we won’t have a stunt circus.’
‘This is why you kids shouldn’t be here, Stunt,’ said Ginger. ‘It’s too much for you to handle on top of your dad’s accident.’
‘It was no accident! My dad is too much of an awesome rider for it to have been an accident!’ I said, all worked up. ‘Someone tried to kill him and now they’re trying to kill Stoked Stunt Circus!’
‘Come on, kids,’ said Lefty Blue Eye, ‘let your Uncle Lefty take you for an ice cream. Leave this to the adults.’
‘You can’t bribe us with ice creams like we’re five years old,’ said Jem.
Although I really liked the thought of an ice cream, she was right.
‘You’re not my uncle and you’re the one who was supposed to check his bike was working before he jumped. It’s your fault he crashed! If you’d done your job properly we wouldn’t be in this situation and my dad wouldn’t be in hospital!’ I said, the accusation just popping right out of my mouth. Then I turned to everyone else. ‘And you are all supposed to be our family and some of you are thinking of leaving and working for Barry Chesterley. Traitors! You’re all traitors.’
Everyone looked shocked and upset at my outburst, but I didn’t care, I was so steamed up. Then I looked up and under the bright lights of the circus top, I could see their tears, all shiny and wet in their eyes.
4
12 year olds aren’t allowed to drive cars
After the meeting, I was torn up inside for all sorts of reasons. Lefty Blue Eye looked devastated that I’d accused him of being responsible for the crash. But he was the one who had access to Dad’s bike. Lefty had even stated that the motorcycle had been running like a dream before the crash. Then he’d said we should thank our lucky stars that Dad was alive.
Although everyone was all teary eyed, I was also upset that our cast and crew would care more about money than saving Stoked. That made me so extra mad, I could feel the anger in my face. It made my cheeks pulsate and go all hot and red.
‘Come on, Benny, I need to ride,’ I said and we headed out to the practice jumps at the back of the circus. Benny can ride motorbikes too but he’s not a stunt kid, and with the State wrestling championships just weeks away, there was no way he was going to risk getting injured. But he said he’d come and watch.
I went into the bike shed and put on my protective padded clothing, slammed shut the lid on my helmet and cranked up my 125cc bike, hoping the roar of the engine and the smell of petrol fumes would make me feel better.
I’ve been riding motorbikes since forever. My dad got me a super mini motorbike when I was three. I love being on any kind of wheels – one wheel (unicycles are an excellent form of transport!); two wheels – BMXs, skateboards, I even ride an old penny-farthing that’s more than a hundred years old (Sue the Bearded Lady does balancing tricks on it in the show). I know how to drive a car, too, but I’m only ever allowed to drive around the circus, and only if my dad is with me. I’d get arrested if I drove it on the road, as twelve year olds aren’t allowed to drive cars.
Most of the time doing something that you love can make you forget how bad you feel, but not today. I tried everything – aerial tricks, jumps, three-sixties – but nothing worked. I was doing a simple wheelie when I lost control of my bike and landed flat on my back, knocking the air out of my lungs.
Benny came running over, followed by Blindfold, who licked the visor of my helmet, making it all cloudy with his spit.
‘You okay, Stunt?’ said Benny, as I sat up.
I lifted up my dog-saliva-stained visor and looked into Benny’s face; his eyebrows were crinkled together in concern. Normally he’d be doubled over laughing if I stacked, which hardly ever happened. But today he didn’t even snigger.
‘Yeah, I’m okay,’ I said, pretending as if nothing was bothering me, even though I felt like my kidney had taken a holiday to my bum. ‘I don’t feel much like riding today though.’
When I ride I have to be totally in the moment but my mind was running faster than my motorbike with everything that had just happened so I couldn’t focus. I pushed my motorbike into the bike shed and went past Dad’s collection of gleaming machines. It made me miss him so much that I thought I might have hurt my heart in the crash. Then Biker Pete and Hayley turned up ready to practise. Biker Pete had been in the game for about twenty years. When you stand next to him you can smell petrol, even when he’s just come out of the shower.
Hayley is a girl, in case you thought she was a boy because boys can also have the name Hayley. It would be sexist to assume that all riders were boys, even though most are. Hayley is a hell of a rider for a girl (well, she’s twenty-two), but she smells of perfume and has beautiful long red hair.
‘You all right, Stunt?’ said Hayley. ‘You got pretty angry at the meeting, hon. Do you need a hug or something?’
‘Nah,’ I said, looking at the floor and feeling my cheeks go red again. Hayley was always embarrassing me by trying to hug me. Everyone at Stoked is super affectionate, kissing and hugging each other all the time. Sometimes the entire circus has a great big group hug. I used to like that stuff when I was little, but I’m not so into it any more. I don’t know why.
‘I’ll have one,’ said Benny, who was still into hugs, especially from pretty girls like Hayley.
‘You know we’re all really upset, don’t you, Stunt Boy?’ Hayley said, her voice all wobbly as she patted Benny’s head as if he were Blindfold. ‘Nobody would work for Chesterley over your dad.’
‘So they’re just rumours then?’ I said, kicking down the stand on my bike, my eyes squinting as I sized up Biker Pete and Hayley.
Biker Pete kicked at a clod of dirt on the floor and it went flying across the shed. ‘This place is full of gossip right now,’ he said uncomfortably. ‘I wouldn’t take any notice of what anyone says. People are just afraid for their jobs and wondering how they’re going to pay their bills.’
‘What have people been saying?’ I demanded.
‘They’re just rumours, Stunt,’ said Biker Pete, running a hand through his messy grey hair.
‘Tell me, Pete. Everyone knows what is going o
n but me and it’s my family’s circus.’ I watched as Hayley and Biker Pete looked at each other for a moment as if deciding whether to tell me or not. ‘Please.’
‘We really shouldn’t say anything, but there was a story going around that Lefty was at Chesterley’s last week. Blueberry was visiting her mother OverEast and she swears she saw Lefty’s truck turning into the Chesterley site,’ said Hayley. ‘But I don’t believe it. He’s been with your dad since forever, and he hasn’t asked Biker Pete or me to join him. If he was serious about setting up a stunt-riding team with Chesterley, he’d need to have riders. And as you know, Stunt Boy, it’s nearly impossible to find great stunt riders like us. None of it makes sense.’
‘My dad’s accident doesn’t make sense!’ I said before the thought occurred to me that Lefty Blue Eye could actually have rigged the bike to crash on purpose. It was hard to fathom because he had been with us forever. If I couldn’t trust Lefty, who could I trust? From now on, everyone was under suspicion, apart from Jem, Benny and Blindfold, until I found out what the hell was going on.
‘Accidents happen, Stunt, you know that,’ said Biker Pete as his hand moved to his grey beard. His fingernails embedded with years of grease. ‘No one wants them to happen, but they do. I broke my back when I was twenty-three. Thought I’d never walk again, let alone ride, but it was an accident. It’s a job hazard, little guy.’
‘Yeah right,’ said Benny, playing with the zip on his tracksuit. ‘Stunt just stacked it at the jump.’
I got all steamed up inside and wanted to punch him, so I crossed my arms to stop myself.
‘You hurt yourself, babe?’ asked Hayley all concerned.
‘It was nothing.’ I shrugged.
‘Stunt, I know you think your dad is superhuman, but sometimes even the best riders make mistakes,’ Hayley said gently.