The Circus Act | Teen Ink

The Circus Act

May 19, 2009
By Lizzy Hartley BRONZE, Marietta, Georgia
Lizzy Hartley BRONZE, Marietta, Georgia
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Slowly strutting into the large, colorful tent, crowds of people travel towards the small doors that lead into the vast seating area. Whiffs of warm, sweet caramel seep into my nostrils as me and my mother bypass the candy apple stand. The dirty stench of urine blows into my face, as my face scrunches up into multiple wrinkles. On the opposite side of the narrow corridor, a large yellow and red sign catches my attention as half of the populace stroll in the direction of the popcorn stand. As we march towards the showground, the sound of popcorn popping made my mouth water.

As Mom and I are almost to the doors, blue and pink cotton swirls around in a large bowl. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the vivid candy, as mom tugged my arm, unable to cram through the jam-packed entrance. Finally, after waiting a few minutes we are able to shove our way into the immense auditorium. Acrobats flip high into the air, one flying to the right and the other to the left, yet somehow able to land perfectly still into the palm of a young boy.

On the other side of the ring, a man and a woman swing on a single bar, above a large, prickly net. The woman soars through the air like an eagle in the open sky. The strong, muscular man swiftly grasps her as if he knew this trick like the back of his hand.

In another segment of the ring a pale faced individual with bright shoes, a large nose, red puffy hair, and a multicolored suit maintained a goofy grin on his abnormal looking face. He deafeningly whistles as a small, little car pulls up along side of the goofy clown. He lightly tugs the silver door handle and at least twenty other clowns pile out of the car. The crowd roars in excitement as the foolish clowns laugh hysterically with the crowd.

Mom tows me toward our blue-ish brown seats. They are probably as filthy as our messy garage. I try not to pay attention to the pollution on the chairs as I look around the arena to a new spot. Surprisingly, a mid-aged man steps into my view. “Get your complimentary peanuts! Free peanuts!” he screams and yells to get attention from the crowd, although in my opinion he is more of a disturbance. As his voice fades into the next section of seats, an amazing stunt catches my eye. A young girl flips on a tight rope and sticks the landing without even budging. She repetitively does incredible aerobatics as my eyes are intensely glued to the girl.

A light tap repeatedly brushes my smooth skin. “Maddie! Maddie! It is time to leave.” Without my eyes leaving the rope I snag my purse and slowly follow Mother to the car. My neck strained as I tried to watch the girl for as long as possible, until the circus ground faded into a fuzzy blur.



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