But every time my word needs saving he's my superman. Some folks don't believe in heroes cause they haven't met my dad
Maddie's POV
They all like to say that Father isn't as tall as he is... as we all know him to be. As I know him to be.
They all say he was just tall or 'seemed' so tall because I was little. No.
He seemed so tall now. When I was little, he towered over me, but to me, it felt like he just had more love to give. I always felt that he could somehow look out for me more effectively because of his height. He has to tip his head and take his hat off because he's the same height as all the doorframes that made up 'The Castle' on 4025 Izard Street.
...back in his father's lifetime of the 1800's Phineas Barnum and James Bailey of Ringing Bros. Combined Shows may have recruited him because of his fantastic and unique hight. Mr. Cochran never wanted to be an act in anyone else's circus. No.
He wanted to be the foundation in which something new, something wonderful and something special stood upon. He wanted his own circus inspired by his father before him and William Cochran's own circus.
Marcus: I risked everything for my family... for her— my child, my everything.
Madison: Father risked everything for us... for me: his only child, his princess, his treasure and his Tiger: who he protected and guarded from the bad, harm and everything in between; to then be thrust into a world... a time completely different— too complex, advanced, loud, dull, dreary, colorless, fake, confusing and scary and big— all alone too. Handed off like a letter to mail and kept away from the only home and family that you've ever known. So small and new and have to start fighting as soon as you arrive because they wouldn't make it easy for a 6 year old in the body of a 4 year old and how utterly confused you are now. Knowing something's wrong- something happened and you find out later you were 'taken too soon'. Life felt false: the word- a vail he would lift.
People feel fake, everything feels like a lie and time/ which everyone follows and relies on, is something foreign and non-existent to you. Things feel like they are all missing... I feel alone... and then, I released exactly what happened. Father just provided the details. I miss everything taken from me like no one would believe... no one but US. —Because WE lived it.
Life issues and Madison deals with and experiences things that I promise you, she would not have ever been subject to here. Suddenly, the time feels turbulent and she can't fly through.
I can't fly through because the one person that had my 'flight manual' and was my 'pilot'— isn't here: I was taken from him and my wings stop...
Everything locks up— its too late! I tried to catch you Madison. The rounding boards creek and crash with a shuddering sound that won't cease in her mind... MY mind.
It won't stop because its familiar to us- the last normal moment and thing: a carousel ride before a permanent black mart stamped on my record... William's legacy and our name. -YOUR name.
A name I— his child, cleared. He's 'obsolved' of something, just an accident. An ACCIDENT
and in the town of Omaha, its just a ghost of the past, but here— it's a tie: a feeling-one of home and of normalcy; whatever that is— because it set the line of dominos to fall... and then came the tent fire.
With a big heart, came a big family— a huge Show to be our home and with those, came along an even bigger risk: a big heart subject to huge risks and not just my mother and his girlfriend leaving... no, disappearing.
(639 words)
YOU ARE READING
What Happened Under The Big Tent (IT'S ALL PART OF THE SHOW SEQUEL)
Non-FictionFATHER- That is a title one earns, though few and none are set to believe he actually 'earned' it. With years gone by, The Carnival has traveled from town to town. With its black and white Big Tent, TopHat has returned to the place it all fell apart...
