The Tight Wire

Reunion

After about 10 minutes walking Jay was standing next to the train. She reached up and traced the big blue letters with her fingers, feeling the coarse wood fondly. She was filled with nostalgia as she remembered how big the train had seemed to her as a child. She signed, her breath forming in swirls in front of her. She tried to get into the train car to see if she could find Artemis, as she always had the train car with Pinder's circus on the side.

As she put her hands on the handle, a noise coming from on top of the train caused her to look up. When she did she was met with a shadowy figure standing on top of the train, pointing a bow and arrow at her chest. Jay immediately recognised them.

"Who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?"the person growled. Jay wasn't sacred; she had been trained in knife throwing so having deadly weapons pointed at her was the norm.
"Come on Arty,I thought you would recognise your best friend when you saw them!"Jay said, stepping back from the train and into the light. The figure gasped and dropped the bow, and leapt off the train next to Jay.

Jay could see that Artemis still had the same yellow croptop with a red arrow in the middle off the chest, red leggings with yellow swirls, red combat boots and a yellow mask with red swirls that covered her eyes. They must have just finished a show, Artemis used to hate travelling in her costume. Jay thought to herself.

"JAY-JAY!"she squealed as she enveloped Jay in a bone-crushing hug, which Jay gladly returned. "I missed you Jay-Jay! How did you find us?" She said as she pulled away from Jay, a huge grin plastered on her face.
"I was having a walk on top of the hill and saw the train!I missed you Arty!"Jay said as she pointed to the hills she came from, which seemed like a little spec in the distance.
"Oh! Come on, I'm sure Mr P. will be glad to see you again!"she said as she grabbed Jay's hands and dragged her up a ladder and back on top on the train, where she retrieved her bow and arrow and jumped through the skylights in the top of the cab. Jay follows and landed softly in the train, and looked around. As Jay had suspected, she was in Artemis' family's car. Her mother and farther were sitting in one corner, sharpening some of their arrows. They both got up and greeted her, delighted that she had finally come back to the circus.

As they both made your way down the train, New memories resurfaced with each car she went through. All of the families remembered her, and were overjoyed to see her. As they made their way past the animals, Jay could still remember all of their names. There were Tatsu and Montu the lions, kori and Sarabi the leopards, Mongo,Sarrison,Tomer and Steela the horses ,Faraday the hawk and the family of small ponies that the circus kept to entertain the children before the show. Their names were Tink,Prince,Finn,Strike and Snips. As they went into the car of larger animals,and found exactly what she was looking for.

Or who she was looking for.

In the car was an elephant. More specifically,Peanut the elephant. Jay had recused him from a rival circus that mistreated their animals just after he was born, as the circus had 'accidentally' killed his mother. They had a special bond that no-one else could achieve with any of the animals. Jay practically raised him.
"Peanut!"she called as she stepped closer to him. He then took a step forwards and carefully wrapped his trunk around her waist, nudging her with his head.
"Hey,I missed you too buddy!"she said as she scratched behind his ears; after all these years she could still remember where he liked to be scratched.
"That's the happiest I've seen him look in years. "Artemis commented from behind Jay. Jay smiled to herself and hugged peanut, before she let him go.
"I'll be back P, I've just got to say a few more hello's"she said as she left him and carried on to the front of the train.

With Artemis by her side, she reached the door of the ringmaster, simply know to the circus as Mr p.She took a deep breath and opened the door.

She was met with a similar feeling of nostalgia as she looked around the room. There were news clippings about the circus on the walls, and behind a large desk in the corner was Mr p. He had a few more wrinkles than last time but, like Artemis, she still had the same costume. A long red overcoat with shiny gold buttons, black trousers and black boots. He got up when Jay walked in and immediately opened his arms to her for a huge high she gladly accepted.
"Jay Bonham."he said, smiling. "You just can't stay away can you ?" He said as Jay pulled away from him, beaming from ear to ear.
"I'm just following an obsessive series of behaviours installed into me as a child!"Jay teased him.
"I'm sorry to hear about your dad kiddo. How are you doing now?" He asked.
"I'm good, but still only working in a coffee shop. "Jay replied.
"Well, you know if you want to come back, there will always be a place for you here. "He said.
"Thanks Mr p. "Jay smiled.

"Come on Jay-Jay, you HAVE to meet the new acts!"Artemis chimed in from behind them.
"But the shows on in 3 hours...I know! Meet the cast and you can watch the show!" Artemis said. Jay giggled.
"So I get a glorified backstage pass?"Jay teased.
"Call it what you want, it's happening. " She said as she dragged Jay back out of the car, as they started to explore the tent that was currently being set up in a field next to the train.

a/n yeah I know it kinda sucks but there are just ideas that I think of cos it's exam season and I tend to have some ideas when I'm waiting in exams but forget them all 😑 plus there's the fact that I suck at writing. Oh well.