In the Crown of the Circus King

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next few weeks in the circus were full of new experiences, and Phillip's days were always followed with huge amounts of joy running all over his body. Not that it was anything too exceptional, it was a circus after all.

By the end of the first week Phillip finally got his suit delivered from the tailor's. He was in shock on how beautifully it turned out and it was undoubtedly very alike Barnum's suit. The golden embroidered strips embellished the front of it, connecting it's golden buttons. His small neck was nicely framed by the decorated black shirt collars. The main difference between both of the suits were the colors - Phillip's kept more of the warm red tones in it, unlike Barnum's which had more of the dominating black finishes. And even though the ringmaster made a cheeky requirement to make it less striking, Phillip did not see it being any less exquisite. When he checked out his outfit in the mirror, he felt a hint of that particular Barnum confidence washing over him as he smirked at his reflection, posing like the ringmaster himself.

"Oh come on, Phillip! Are we going to wait behind this curtain all day? Show yourself!" Lettie impatiently called.

"In a second." Phillip answered, taking one last look at his appearance and finally getting out of the changing area, meeting the girls' excited eyes.

"Oh. My. Sweet. Lord." Lettie shouted out as she excitedly clapped her hands, scanning Phillip from head to toes with her eyes.

"What she said." Anne and Deng Yan nodded. They all walked closer towards him, inspecting each little detail on his suit.

"Man, Phineas' going to be mad. You're outshining him, mister." Lettie laughed. She carefully brushed her fingers under the golden lines.

"Really? I think he specifically asked the tailor to not make it too flashy." Phillip looked down, finishing buttoning up one of the golden buttons.

"I can already hear him demanding a refund." Deng Yan grinned as she rested her hand on Anne's small shoulder, both admiring Phillip's new circus look.

"Well, thanks for the heads up." Phillip sarcastically replied, looking back up at them and flashing them a smile.

"Do that main 'P.T. Barnum' pose."

"No... I couldn't..." Phillip hesitantly shook his head, trying to stop himself from giggling.

"Oh, come on!" Lettie urged, giving him a friendly encouraging nudge. The other two girls endorsed her request.

Phillip chuckled and stepped back. He took one last look at the ladies, winking at them as he instantly crossed his legs, turning his face to the right and stretching out one of his arms, pretending to be holding a cane in it. He kept his left arm behind his back. "Ladies and gents this is the moment you've waited for." He sang with a deepened voice, jumping in his place and skillfully pressing his legs together as he faced the ladies again, stretching his hands up in the air.

All of the three women laughed, following Phillip's little performance with loud claps and cheers as he theatrically bowed down for them.

"Impressive." The familiar baritone voice commented behind their backs, quickly catching the attention of the small group. They all turned around to face the ringmaster, who naturally showed up without giving out any warnings of his presence. Phillip's face immediately heated up after realizing Barnum watched the whole performance, but he quickly fixed his composure, gallantly meeting the lustrous brown eyes, seeing the owner of them leaning on one of the wooden colons.