The Circus
The lights flicker on and off, the lions roar a deafening sound. My heart pounds so loud it is audible to everyone. My first time in a circus I thought. The net around the stage prevents me from getting hurt, also so that the animals won’t cause me any allergic reaction if they accidentally fall. It is a new experience for me, it’s strange, but it’s also amazing at the same time. Like a brand-new pathway had opened for me to travel.
“Hey,” cautioned Ted breaking my train of thought, “this is your first circus show, you good there Isaac?”
I smiled nonchalantly at him and replied, “Yeah I’m fine, you TOTALLY don’t have to worry about me because I am ABSOLUTELY NOT having a breakdown because this is the first time that I am watching a circus show with animals that have FUR, and the animals might give me an allergic reaction then my mother would never allow us to ever go to a circus or anywhere else, even a park, ever again.”
I looked away and turn my awareness to the stage. Lions were pouncing through hoops and one of them looked super anxious, and now that I think of it, it also looked slightly green, but it still hopped through the hoops. The trainer had a smirk on his face, and he had a curled-up whip fastened at his waist. All the lions looked very fatigued and feeble. The trainer gave them a malicious look and reached for the whip. All the lions jumped without a single error. However, the last lion sprang and almost crashed into the rim of the hoop. Huh…, I thought.
I glanced at my sides; Ted was grinding his teeth on the popcorn we brought earlier in the café, I would never say it into his face, but I think the looks like a horse when he chews on his food. Devan was sipping his coke with enthusiasm and oohing now and then. Ryan was on his phone, scrolling through one of his social media accounts, probably, because of that mischievous grin on his face. I gulped and turned my attention back on the stage.
The lion act was finished and horses- Wait no, zebras -came with riders twirling and spinning and - wait, did all the riders jump off and one of the zebras jumped on another two zebra’s tops? I gazed in reverence. Suddenly I was enjoying this circus with animals and all the entertainments. The acts with animals just kept on coming. When the zebras began to exit and bears made a phenomenal entrance, the elephants joined in the show. Then, just as the bears and elephants were exiting, acrobats came tumbling down from the ceiling only to save themselves with a rope at the very last second. That nearly gave me a heart attack. I feel the palpitations of my heart increase by 2000%. “I’m going to the restroom,” I whispered to Ted. And steady myself so I don't get nightmares of the acrobats falling down the rope and breaking they're- hold up, I shouldn't think about that, I thought, and too late. Now nightmares would come and haunt me for the rest of this month. "Get back here soon!" Ted called after me. I was sure that everyone in the audience heard that. I walked away pretending I didn't hear him.
I exit the house (Theater term) and started to make my way to the restroom. Taking deep breaths, I said to myself, “It’s okay, they know what they are doing. They are well trained and probably had the job over three years.” My heart thumping slowed down and started to go back to normal. Then I found my thoughts tracing back to the lions. Why were they frightened? Why were the lions jumping into a hoop when it was very weary? Are they afraid of the trainer? What happened between the lions and the trainer? I wondered. I needed to clear my mind and I suddenly remembered that I had my phone with me, and I started to check up on it, it always helped me to. I walked a slow-paced, unaware of what was going on beside me.
I was scanning one of the most current posts when suddenly a hand pushed me aside and I crashed against a door, and I plunged in and then rubbed the side of my head. “Oof,” I muttered darkly to myself. I found my phone and tuck it in my pocket.
I looked up. I was unable to believe what I saw. Three men with well-built muscles are kicking and cursing mindlessly at a lion. No, I thought. It’s the same lion that didn’t want to jump that hoop! The men were censured at the lion. I got up and hid behind a corner with a shelf over my head. I reached for my phone, making sure where it was. I looked up at them, they didn't seem to notice I was here, even though I literally crashed into a door then fell onto the floor of this room, then I said, "Oof". I guess they were too into the whole "hitting the lion so I could feel better" thing.
