Time to go

Appearing act

Clint shivered from his perch hidden high above the crowds, this was it.

The show started in a mere three minutes, he could feel the tent filling with anticipation.

As the lights began to dim the crowd quieted, focusing their attention on the ringmaster standing centre stage. But Clint payed no attention to the little man in the big top hat, he scanned the ring instead.

From his perch he could see virtually everything. The popcorn carts, the lion's cage, everything except for the four other acrobats.

He had scoured the tent a good five times but had not even seen a ghost of them, they weren't down with the other performers and they weren't on their respective perches in the air like Clint. He was beginning to worry. Half of his brain was telling him to stop being so stupid, the acrobats were one of the last acts , they still have plenty of time. While the other side was scared soundless that he would have to perform alone in his hometown like he did many years ago.

As the acts came and went, Clint began to look more feverishly for the four other leotard clad aerialists. Yes, other leotard clad aerialists, the great Hawkeye was wearing a scratchy, navy blue, skintight, full body leotard.

"And here we have all the way from South Korea, the great juggling brothers!" The ringmaster's loud introduction jarred Clint out of his leotard induced thoughts.

He felt his heart sitting in his throat, he was supposed to perform right after the jugglers and not a single other acrobat could be seen. What if he had to perform by himself ?

"Clint? Can you hear me?" a voice cracked through his clunky ear-piece.

"Yah." Clint tried to keep calm as the tiny voices in head proceeded to freak out and wage war on each other; You're going to have to do this solo, they never use an earpiece if they don't have bad news! One voice screamed.

Just take it easy, stay calm, every cloud has a silver lining. The more mellow, Zen Buddhist voice in Clint's soothed. The other voice let out some sounds that resembled the words; stay calm? you can shoved the silver lining crap up your @!$.

Clint's voices don't usually get along, but he pushed them out of the way to listen to the speaker in the earpiece.