Time to go

Like riding a bike

After the show was finished and the crowd cleared out Clint made his way to the dressing rooms where the performers were scuttling about, talking and laughing. Clint remembered it well.

As he pushed aside the tent flap, he stopped dead in his tracks. Was that Carson Morris? Carson Morris was the Carson of Carson's carnival of traveling wonders. The same man who took Clint in at the very beginning? No it couldn't be, Carson was getting older when Clint left, this man was young and spry. But there was only one way to find out from sure.

Clint entered the dressing room completely and said in his loudest voice " Carson Morris is that you?"

The man spun around and stared at Clint. "How do you know my father's name?"

"Um, uh I used to work for him and you look so much like him, I thought you were him." Clint fumbled his words.

The man stepped warily towards Clint "My name is Zachary. I took the circus over when my father died."

Clint looked down at the ground, he hadn't known Carson all that well but he knew that he was a good and honest man, nothing like the swordsman.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Zachary laughed " No need to be sorry, he literally died laughing. But why are you here? Most people who were in the circus never come back just for kicks."

"Well I noticed that you are down an acrobat and an aerialist and I need a job that can get me out of here. So I'd like to fill your gap."

Zachary frowned " Why would you want another job in the circus? You know the pay sucks."

" I don't need money." Clint said simply and it was true; being an avenger paid well. " I need a way out of the city that's all."

It was the truth, but not the whole truth. He needed a way out, but he also needed to be a place that he would never be recognized. Somewhere if they ever found out he was still alive they wouldn't be able to find him.

Zachary nodded, not pressing the matter. " Well that's all fine and dandy, but can you still flip and do the tricks?"

Clint gave him one of rare grins, that some how scared the crap out of Zachary. " It will be my genuine pleasure."

As Clint entered the ring he felt like a kid in a candy store, there was a row silk cloth strips hanging in one corner, a tight-rope through the middle and the trapezes hung throughout the entire ring. It was just as if he never left.

After looking it over once more Clint climbed up the ladder to the tight rope and began his a act.

Walking the tight rope was one of the fist skills he learned so he lightly scampered across it, no different from walking on the ground. Once he reached the end he remembered the act he used to do as a warmup, it included all the skills that an acrobat should have so Clint started.

He jumped off the tight rope and began flipping through the air, once he was close enough to a trapeze bar he grabbed on and swung to the next one. Landing on that one with his feet wrapped around it so he was upside down he swung once to gather momentum and jumped to the silks. Clint did the best tricks he could remember, twirling around at a 90 degree angle holding on with his hands then his feet, scrambling up smoothly and the jumping from silk to silk to the bottom, and finally letting go and landing on his feet in front of Zachary.

"Just like riding a bike huh?" Clint smiled dusting off his clothes, for the first time in awhile he was genuinely happy and he felt like himself again.

Zachary shook his head almost laughing, " Man what kind a bike did you ride?"

Clint just laughed.

"Well since it would be crazy for me not to hire you, I guess you should meet the rest of the crew." Zachary head toward the dressing rooms. " They are all a bit strange, but hey you can't have a good group of wonders if the aren't a little strange." He let out another good-hearted laugh and entered the dressing rooms.

Clint smiled and followed. Laughter here was so much easier than it had been in any part of his life. Maybe this is where he belongs, not as an archer among super-heroes, but as an acrobat among other carnies, freaks and real people.