New Home in the Countryside: a Coraline story

Chapter six: Mouse Circus

The Gray House lit by amber spotlights looks magical with ornate gingerbread trim; glowing topiary in the yard. The kids come out the front door.

"You're awfully cheerful, considering you can't say anything." Coraline said.

The other Jake nods in agreement.

As they climbed the stairs, Christine whispered: "Something's off about Jake."

Allison shrugged. "He's cute."

Christine frowned. "But he can't talk."

April's eyes narrowed. "What do they mean 'fixed him'?"

Coraline's gaze lingered on Other Jake. "He's... different."

They run up the stairs and watch it slip through an opening above his door. Coraline knocks and the door suddenly spins, throwing them inside. They somersault to a stop and sit up. Down two rows of small cannons that face each, an amazing miniature circus has been set up, with a ferris wheel beside it.

"Whoa... cool!" Coraline said as she, Allison and April went right to the Ferris wheel where a mechanical chicken eats dried corn on the cob, fires up its belly, then poops out popcorn into paper bags.

While Christine watches Jake stomp a firing button and cotton candy shoots out of a cannon. He catches the cone and gives it to Christine.

"Thanks." Christine said.

And then starts firing off all the cannons. Coraline and the girls look back to find him covered in the cotton candy.

"Look at you!" Allison laughed.

Spotlights come on in the big top, the entrance opens, and a big voice is heard over loudspeakers. "Ladies and gentleman! To tickle your eyes and ears and make hearts thump, I – Sergei Alexander Bobinsky – am introducing..." They race to the entrance, stoop down to crawl inside. "And my as-tound-ishing, stu-pen-dulous and AH-MAZING Jumping Mouse Circus!"

They sit between miniature grandstands and watch as the little blimp, bathed in spotlights, enters through a flap. It circles around, rising to the top of the tent, then nose dives towards the ground. It crashes in the center of the circus ring, and opens like a flower from which 50 jumping mice spring up like Chinese acrobats to spell out Christine. "My name!" She says with excitement.

Coraline and the others furrow their eyebrows, but smile.

The jumping mice leap to the ground in formation, brandish tiny instruments, and drummers start pounding.

The drum major mouse parachutes down and whips out a baton. On his signal, the group launched into a wild circus march.

Allison, grinning, turns to the Other Wybie. "It's wonderful, Jake!"

The boy smiles and nods to the beat of the bass drums as the hopping band marches in and out of ever changing formations, pinwheels, x's, circles within circles. They hoppers begin to spiral to the center of the circus ring when the floor rises up from its center to form a six-foot tower of babel, the mice hopping to the top. The drum major balances on the tippy-top on a colorful circus ball.

"Wow!" All the girls said.

He runs the ball down and around the spiral as the mice hop off, and when he hits the ground, the tower drops away to reveal the other mister Bobinsky. He cracks a whip.

The other girls and Other Jake stand and clap.

The Other Bobinsky is in a ringmaster's outfit with a full length cape, bows graciously, doffing his tall black hat. His mustache is waxed, his eyes black buttons. "Yah! Whooo-oooh! That was great!" April clapped.

"Very very thank you, ladies and gentleman." On cue, the entire jumping mice band disappears into other Mr. B's sleeves while the drum major swings up from the man's mustache and onto his head, where he's quickly hidden by the tall black hat.

"We loved it, Mr. B. It was ... so ... so—" Coraline tried to come up with what to say.

"A-mazing!" Christine shouted.

"You are very velcome anytime you like, you and also your good friends there." They happily turn to Other Jake, beaming with joy. "Dosvedanya, Christine." Bobinsky takes her hand to kiss it.

As they left the circus, Christine was still excited. "That was so awesome, I wish that Andrea and Nancy would see that."

"Maybe we can show them in another performance." Coraline said.

They approached the Gray House. Winifred waited at the door. "Time for bed, darlings."

As they entered, Coraline asked. "Okay I got to know why you live here and not in the other world."

Winifred's smile faltered. "Ah, dear Coraline, this world is... safer."

Coraline's eyes narrowed. "Safer from what?"

Winifred's voice dropped to a whisper. "From them, the witch Hunters or anything that could see us as a threat."

Coraline frowned. "A threat?"

"We used to live in your world but people didn't accept us because we are witches." Mary said.

"So I with my magic created this world, to keep us safe." Winifred said.

"Oh!" Coraline said.

"But on the bright side we got a chance to meet you and your sisters." Sarah smiled.

Coraline's expression softened. "I'm glad I met you too."

Winifred's smile returned. "We're happy to have you here."

As they climbed the stairs, Christine whispered, "Wow you are a strange little sis."

"I know." Coraline said.

Allison giggled. "You're so cool, Coraline."

Coraline smiled. "Thanks, Allison."

As they reach their rooms, Winifred kisses sleeping April's forehead, and sits back in the bedside chair.

"Hey, thanks for a great night." Coraline yawned.

"No, thank you." Winifred smiles warmly, knowing something secret that makes them glad.