Cloud Dancer

Cloud Dancer [1]

ONE YEAR LATER.

 CHAPTER ONE

AUGUST 1931

As the evening glow set upon the town, the lights on the Big Top ignited. They overwhelmed the stars, and outshined them. Stuck to the outside of the crowd, moving quickly, I held my money tightly in my gloved hand. The people in the crowd moved quickly, eager to enter the realm inside the Big Top. I stepped into the line that was already long and stretched far out behind me. I kept my eyes on the lights that gleamed from every seam on the roof; each light glowed with its individual valour. Slowly moving to the front of the line, I paid my money and slipped through the entrance.

The atmosphere was smoky and added a sense of mystery to the air, tiers of seating surrounded the ring in the centre that was adorned with cables and scaffolding in the middle that would be used later in the show by acrobats. I circled the centre ring, looking all around most people were already seated, whiles others, like me lingered, taking in the sight all around. I chose my spot on the opposite side of the door on the ground row; I wanted to be as close to the excitement as I possibly could.

I pressed my hands into the edges of the seat, I was certain that if I hadn’t had a firm grasp on the seat that I would have flown off.

Things had been certainly dismal in the past year, everything in this small bitter town seemed to drag. Where one hour could easily feel like a year, and this year had made me feel as though I had lived through a century.

As more and more people filed into the Big Top an extraordinarily tall man along with an impossibly short woman, were walking around passing out small bags of popcorn. I smile widely as the small woman, who up close could only be a few years older than I, handed me a bag.  The candles on the outer rim of the Big Top were blown out, one by one and the centre ring was fully aglow. A hush fell over the audience, as an impeccably dressed man, with a red overcoat and black velvet vest and matching top hat came into the centre.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, and children of all ages, I welcome you to the most spectacular show on earth.” Spoke the ringmaster with a distinct German accent “Witness something you’ve never seen before, heard before dreamt before. The most spectacular show on earth.”

And so it began, and it was the most spectacular. And it was better than anything that I had thought of. It created a world where we could forget everything that had been bought on by the Depression. Women defied gravity, men overpowered beasts, there was practical jokers and magic men. Above all, I couldn’t stop thinking about Lily, when she was coming out, what she would be doing.

And after a while. When the show was coming to a close and all of the performers were coming out to takes there bows.

As soon as all of the performers had gone, I stood up and pushed my way through the crowd. Once I broke free, I walked along the empty road that ran adjacent to the Main Street, only a few street lamps lit the way for me, but I had walked this road enough to know it perfectly underfoot.

The porch lights were on, and I knew that Aunt Agnes would be in bed.  Quietly, very discreetly I opened the front door and slipped past her bedroom door. Through the house until I came to the back. The fly-screen door was open as usual, and I stepped out onto the mossy ground, kicking my shoes off I felt the sooting cool of the grass and dirt. I shut my eyes and listened to the trickle of the creek. It was so familiar sleeping would just never be the same with listening to the sound of the running water.

Returning to the house, I pulled out a trunk from underneath my bed, and by mere candle light I started to pack the most important things. A few sets of clothes, my favourite books, and a picture of Lily and me with mom and dad one Christmas.

It wasn’t long before I stood in the kitchen nook, listening to the grandfather clock in the hall count away each second as it passed.  I prepared a sandwich for myself, and took a piece of fruit from the bowl on the kitchen table.

The final thing to do was to leave the note. It wasn’t anything complex; there were no riddles, no long soppy messages. It was just plain and simple, something I’ve had it in my head for a year and it felt good to finally release it onto paper.

I’m going to find Lily.

And with that I left the note on the table and walked out the front door. A few people lingered on the main street so I stuck to the one on the street that ran on the outskirt next to the creek. The familiar trickle kept me close, and assured me of what I was doing. ‘I’m going to find myself my sister’ I said over and over again in my head, there was almost a giddy undertone to the whole thing, I was finally going to find her. It had been a year and it was almost unbearable to wait, not knowing what she was doing, not knowing if the circus would return.

No one noticed the girl with suitcase walking over the train tracks, no one noticed the girl who kept her hat low and her head bent down. No one noticed the girl, with the suitcase walking through the tents that were getting packed up, through the flurry, no one noticed the girl with the suitcase walking close to the train.

And I can bet that they didn’t notice me walking up one of the ramps on a carriage. I found a box in the back corner to hide behind. It was dark enough and I was sure that no one would see me.  I set my suitcase down, pressing my back into the corner I drew my legs up to meet my chin and wait for the train to pull away from Coldcreek.

Even if Lily was here, I wasn’t going to find her with in the flurry of the pack up, and it would be best to see her in the morning anyway.