Y/N's smiles are a rarity, and for good reason. With all odds against her, a spark of hope ignites when the girl, by some miracle, finds a ticket to the circus. She goes, glad to have some time away from her nightmarish home life, but still can't he...
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Past the crowds of people, we find our way to a platform made of wood surrounded by an audience of folding chairs. Majority of the seats are filled with patrons, who either wanted to rest their legs or were waiting for the scheduled show. Up on the stage, which has a thick, royal blue curtain for a backdrop, stands a board listing the times for the variety of pre-show entertainment that takes place there. Other than the magic show Chester is meant to perform, apparently they display contortionists and sword swallowers as well. The jester finds me a seat in the second row that was not occupied and tells me to enjoy the show before hurrying to get on stage.
"Welcome, one and all, to this evening's magic show! I am your man of mystery, Chester the Friendly, Magical Jester! Pleasure to meet ya!" he announces cheerfully before giving a deep, exaggerated bow, causing his hat to fall off his head. Then, out came two white doves that shot right out of the hat, which made my mouth gape. He had taken his hat off earlier in front of me and no such animals resided inside.
Not only that, but I've been by his side the entire time since then. He would've had no time to hide the birds in his hat. Everyone claps for him as he bows once then twice to the left and right sides of the audience before snatching his hat on the second dip. "Thank you. Thank you." He giggles softly. "And, here I thought I was going crazy, hearing all that cooing."
The audience gives a few chuckles from the joke before Chester points to a little girl in the front row. "You, there, young lady!" He jumps off the stage and lands in a crouched position in front of the child. Wearing a princely smile, he holds a gloved hand out towards her. "Care to be my beautiful assistant?" With the snap of his fingers and a puff of blue smoke, a pretty, red rose appears in his outstretched hand. After looking to her parents for approval, she accepts the flower with a giddy smile and stands from her seat.
"Wonderful!" Chester jumps to straighten himself out before twirling with the flourish of his cape. As he does so, the fabric consumes the young girl and himself before they disappear and reappear on stage in a cloud of smoke. The child seemed a little disoriented when he removed his cape from her and has her stand in front of him. "Now, all you have to do is shut your eyes, simple, right?" The girl nods her head before using her hands to cover her eyes, but a moment later, she peeks through her fingers in an obvious manner, making both him and the audience laugh.
"Ah, ah, ah! No peeking." He holds a finger to his lips and taps the bottom one with a fake look of thought before pretending to get an idea. Reaching two fingers into his mouth he pinches a piece of fabric before pulling it out to reveal a seemingly never-ending stream of scarves. They did eventually end, but the number of brightly colored fabrics was astounding. "This should solve the problem," he states confidently while tying a part of the cloth around her eyes to keep the girl from peeking before discarding the rest on the stage. "What's your name, kiddo?" he asks while bending down to her height beside her.
