The Ringmaster

669 20 17

by sofaroffbway

by sofaroffbway

Circa 1870s

A pop echoed throughout the fairground, forcing everyone's attention to focus on the puff of smoke that just crackled into the air. Colorful sparks flew from the smoke, charring the few blades of the already dying grass that they landed on.

Children of all ages with rosy cheeks and frostbitten fingertips slipped paper tickets to a man with a handlebar mustache that had been painted in pomade to frame his lips with two perfect curls.

He didn't wish them a fun time, he didn't even give them a smile. He simply took their tickets and nodded in the direction of the large big top tent. The man in the box office was cold, though he still wasn't as cold as the air around the fairgoers was.

The air was the kind of cold where you could see your own breath if you exhaled hard enough. Mothers were pulling up coat collars of young girls and boys before sending them off to go play around the circus.

Pippa watched as kids of all shapes and sizes as well as equally diverse looking families filled the seats of the big top tent.

She shifted uncomfortably in her front row chair, smoothing down her petticoat and full skirt. She tried to hover her feet above the mostly dirt floors of the fairground's big top. Pippa couldn't afford to get her boots all dirty.

All of a sudden, another crack echoed and the smell of smoke filled the air once more.

"Hello, hello!" A booming voice amplified through the building.

Everyone’s eyes were suddenly fixated on the man in the center of the stage. A single spotlight illuminated his figure. He was captivating. He demanded your sole focus. He had whatever the “X” factor was, and Pippa knew that right away.

She quickly got to scribbling what she wanted to say down, writing furiously as to not miss one second of this show.

~~~~~

“So, what do you have to say?” The man asked, tipping his hat towards Pippa.

“Well,” She stammered, not being able to contain her childlike giddiness. “It was a spectacle.”

He smiled. “I’m Lin, the ringmaster. Why don’t I show you around? You can get an insider account.” Lin through a sly wink in Pippa’s direction. Lin knew that Pippa Soo was coming to his circus. She was a world renowned theatre and performance critic, and he couldn’t help but want to charm her, just a touch.

See, the circus hadn’t been doing too well, since...well, since the incident with the pyrotechnics and the last critic that came through. Regardless, Lin was determined to rebuild his reputation within the performing arts world.

“Now, when you say ‘spectacle,’ what are you meaning?” Lin asked, closing a dressing room door behind the two.

Pippa stood right by the door, back straight and glove covered hands holding her notebook by her side. Her eyes scanned the room. It was old, as was most of the rest of the big top. It was not as sparkly and flashy as the performance was.

The bulbs around the mirror were almost all burnt out, most of them already out, but a few still were dimly lit. Tins of greasepaint and cake makeup were scattered around the table alongside some applicators and brushes that looked like they needed a good washing.

Pippa watched, transfixed as the ringmaster started to remove the stage makeup on his face. He looked so much more worn, so much more wise, so much more human. Though, he did not look any less captivating.

“I mean it in the best way possible. The circus really is something to see. It is such a shame what happened with the last critic.” Pippa spoke delicately, not caring if the subject of ‘the incident’ was taboo or not.

Lin nodded, knowingly. "Well, I'm hoping to get the show back on its feet soon. Like how it used to be."

"Well..." Pippa smirked, looking around, though the room was shut.

"Well, what?" Lin asked, gently chuckling to hide his anxiousness of what the critic might say. Pippa had the power here.

"I hope this helps." Pippa slipped Lin twenty five dollars from her gloved fingertips before slipping out of the dressing room door.

~~~~~

YIKES THIS WAS THE WORST EVER