Aerial Cirque

An Evenstar Story

Beta'd by the great JayceePat

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CHAPTER I: A Grandiose History Indeed

To this day, I still have nightmares about my fifth birthday. It was the same day Sam Braun told the good people of Hartford, Connecticut that our finale was going to be the finest… nay the greatest show in his cirque's history and that was saying something, for our cirque had a fine and noble history indeed.

Well, at least that's what my father, William Cisco frequently told me. Of course, I think he might have been exaggerating a bit to make me work harder for him. It wasn't unlike Cisco to use that in order to make an innocent boy like me work harder. I mean, what boy wants to disgrace seven generations of his family's heritage and hard work? I certainly didn't. And no, it didn't help matters at all to think that I was a seventh generation cirque performer.

Even though our cirque had a grandiose and unique history, there's really not a lot known about the origins of our circus. The only thing I knew for sure, it was started in Europe by the Cisco and Braun families. Both were regarded as outcasts to their families and to society. The two met inside the jailhouse. I'm sure it was only a matter of time before a misfit found themselves in jail. After all, when you have nothing, your allegiances belong to nothing. For people like that, jail is the only place they can go.

As the story goes, the two hit it off and started plotting their escape. From the little research I've actually done on those two, it wasn't the first time they were jailbirds. They both had been arrested no less than fourteen times in various countries. Together, I'm sure they made quite the pair. They escaped that jailhouse within a few days time and became constant companions in crime. Well, they became infamous during these lucrative travels. Word began to spread around about these daring escapes and the people had to see them for themselves. Being the businessmen they were, they agreed and set up a small tent charging a small admission to the people who desired to see their re-enactments.

The rest they say is history and the legend of how our cirque came to be. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure which country they were in when they started this travelling band of daredevils.

That was several generations ago and perhaps even more than seven which is what Cisco always told me. I do know that it was a very successful cirque in Europe and they experienced similar success here in the States. As Cisco always told me, it was started by his great, great, great, great, great, great, grandpa and somehow this made me feel special.

From what I heard, our cirque was one of the most popular in the history of these kinds of events. They were really popular among the secular people of Europe and eventually here in America. The people would come from all over bringing their friends and families to see our travelling extravaganza and all were amazed and awe-struck at the spectacle they witnessed.

Times were changing though. Somewhere in the mid-nineteen hundreds things started to decline for our family business as well as others like it. World War Two in Europe was mainly responsible for the decline of these travelling extravaganzas. If that wasn't enough, the introduction of technology such as the radio and television began to mark the end for those of us who made our living in the ring.

That was why Sam Braun wanted to put on this little extravaganza. That was why he needed to put on the greatest show the world had ever seen. The finale at Hartford, Connecticut was supposed to mean the salvation of our troupe, my family. It turned out to be one of the worst days in my life... as I can remember it at least.

Thunder rumbled through the angry sky, answering the call of the lightning. It was a banter that could have continued onward until the end of time. It happened to be the morning of my fifth birthday and I was sleeping peacefully on my hammock in momma's show trailer. That's where we slept, Momma, Liam and I.

It was a tiny place, with barely enough room for the three of us. Over to one end sat a small kitchenette. It wasn't much in comparison to any other kitchenette. Mostly, it was a small cupboard and a counter top. It was nothing fancy. We didn't even have a table. Liam's cot sat right beside the kitchenette with the head of his bed wedged tightly between the small cupboard and the front wall. His bed was littered with his clothing and much to momma's annoyance his bedding was all wadded up in a knot. Momma tried to keep this place clean, but with Liam's attempts to get the beautiful trick rider Catherine Willows to just notice him, that wasn't going to happen. I can only hope that I'm not so crazy when I become a teenager.

Across from the kitchenette sat my mom's bed. She had a real bed. Not like Liam's canvas cot. No, hers had a headboard and a footboard, a real feather mattress, and a hand sewn quilt grandma made. At the foot of her bed sat a small rickety chair I frequently used to pull on my shoes. That brings me to my bed, the hammock. It was strung up over the head of momma's bed. She was always afraid that one night I was just going to roll right out of it and land hard on the floor. I guess she thought that the bed would be softer. She was probably right.

Our family didn't have much, but we had what we needed. My father, Cisco never stayed with us. No, momma wouldn't have that. He wasn't welcomed in our trailer, momma made sure of that. We may have been his by genetics, but she wanted nothing to do with him. As she would say, she filled her obligation to him by producing two strapping boys and she wanted nothing more to do with him.

It wasn't like Cisco minded. He always slept alone unless he was bedding a woman to sire yet another child. After momma had me though, Cisco proclaimed that I was going to be his last. He had eight children in total with four different women. Liam was the oldest and arguably his pride and joy. I was his favourite, his baby and he treated me as though I were made of porcelain. None of his children ever stayed with him. He simply didn't have enough room in his trailer to house all eight of us. That's why we stayed with our mothers.

On this story Monday, I lie lifelessly in my hammock, my foot dangled off the edge. Soft snores emanated from my lips. That was how I usually slept. I didn't believe it at first, that was until Liam took a picture of me, and assured me that was my usual position. Every person in our troupe was allowed one day a month to sleep in. It just so happened that this month's day coincided with my birthday. Maybe that was by my mother's design, or maybe it was just coincidence. Whatever the case, I'm just glad that I don't have to hang around my partner Warrick Brown and our trainer Adolf Travardy.

As much as I enjoyed the extra sleep, I'm sad to say that it didn't last too long. From the angry clouds above, a deafening crack of thunder boomed through the storm-laden sky. It was so powerful it jarred me from my sleep causing the hammock to flip upside down. I nearly fell from my canvas hanging and I probably would have if it weren't for Mister Travardy's aerial acrobatics training. Looks like I finally did something right.

I managed to catch my breath and lowered myself slowly down to momma's bed. //That was close,// I thought to myself. By that time, sleep was a pointless endeavour. I quickly threw on some clothes, now a few inches too short for me. I've grown a lot these past few months. Momma was complaining about that a few days ago, but it meant nothing to me.

As a small boy, I've always been terrified of thunderstorms. I dealt with them, I had to, but I hated them. Usually, momma would take me into her arms and sing that little lullaby I loved so much in my ear. Unfortunately, she wasn't here right now and I was alone in the coach under these horrible conditions. I chanced a quick glimpse outside only to be met with the torrential rain and fierce winds trying to push the door back upon my fingers.

I couldn't do it. Not on a bet, not even to find my mother's safe embrace. The fierce winds pushed hard against the trailer. I could hear it whizzing past our small home. Tears rolled from my eyes as I hid from it under momma's bed unable to move.

It wasn't as though the storm was really all that bad. I just hated the noise of the thunder really. It took me a while to catch my breath and finally convince myself that I really could leave momma's trailer. Slowly, I pulled myself out from under momma's bed and walked cautiously to the front door. With a few calming deep breaths I found the courage to open the door. It was hard to get out from behind the door with my limited strength, but I somehow managed to squeeze through.

The wind and rain were torrential, but I pulled my jacket above my head afraid that the onslaught of rain would melt my precious skin into a puddle of good to be swept up by the street sweepers. I trudged through the nearly vacant midway as I made for the big-top where I could take cover. Maybe if I was lucky I would be able to see the pyrotechnician's newest act. Sam promised the people it was going to be spectacular.

As I walked slowly through the midway, it saddened me to see it so void of people. However, I don't blame them for staying away with weather like this. Ordinarily, the midway would be packed on closing day filled with people trying to take advantage of the rides, the cotton candy, the several carnival games we had set up, and the sideshow if they so desired to see the abnormalities of the human condition. They weren't so scary to me though. Actually David Hodges was always very fond of me. He'd tell me the craziest stories and I just knew each of them had to be true. Cisco always said that he had the audacious tendency to stretch the truth a bit. In any case, I still loved being in his company.

Hodges wasn't like the other freaks with the sideshow. He could walk through the crowded midway in his civvies and no one would have ever guessed he was a part of our sideshow. He wasn't too tall, or had another person joined to him. In fact, he wasn't deformed at all. I often asked him why he was with the sideshow. He just kind of laughed and went on doing what he was doing. I found out sometime later, he was some sort of brilliant genius. He used to work with the universities doing all sorts of stuff I couldn't comprehend if I tried.

I'm not exactly sure what those universities did with Hodges. Whatever it was, it must've been horrible for the way he snapped. Now, he has so many neuroses that he can hardly keep from twitching. I know he hasn't always been like that, but I've never seen him any other way. He was nice though, always friendly. Plus, he had this mathematician juggling thing going on, apparently it was something to be seen.

Either way, he didn't have much time. He wished me a happy birthday though before sending me on my way.

A few people quickly scurried from tent to tent as the rain continued its hard assault on the ground. Mud and water splashed up around their feet as they ran across the narrow alley of trailers. Most of them were too afraid to even brave the dreadful weather. The few who did brave it found themselves in either the main performers tent waiting to meet them after their morning practice was concluded, or in the freak show tent, watching the amazing David Hodges and Henry Andrews argue about quantum mechanics and whether or not time travel is actually a possibility. When they got going they could make your head spin.

Pruedence Webster stopped dead in her tracks with her brown eyes fixed on me and I knew that I was in deep trouble. Prue may have been my half-sister, Cisco and Zoë's coupling, but she acts more like my surrogate mother. Either way, she always seems to know when I'm up to no good and that usually ends with me doing extra callisthenics.

My oldest sister Prue was a beautiful young woman. She was tall with long black hair, pale skin and bright brown eyes. When she smiled, you could swear the entire world lit up. She could make the coldest days a bit warmer. Now, I wish I could see her soft eyes and the edges of her plump lips curl into a smile.

At the moment, she wasn't too keen on smiling. She marched over to me, her face hardened and stern. I could feel my knees quivering as she neared. Deep down I knew I was in trouble. I shouldn't be outside in weather like this. Momma's told me a thousand times that when it rains I am to stay under the big-top or in our trailer.

My head dropped instinctively waiting for her gavel to fall on me. I just knew, she was going to take my hand and pull me straight to momma, but she didn't. Prue hoisted me into her arms and her face broke into that beautiful smile. "What are you doing out here walking around in the rain, Little Birdling?" A mischievous glint overcame her eyes as her finger curled around into a claw and assaulted my stomach. Lung bursting laughter erupted from me as she carried me into the large tent.

"Let's get you dried up, before your mom sees you soaking wet." Sometimes, Prue wouldn't tell mom about my little misbehaviours. To date, I haven't been able to figure out why the sudden changes of heart. Maybe it was that she knew I had no choice, or was it the fact that it was my birthday. I still don't know, and I doubt that I will ever know the answer to that. She dried me off so tenderly and lovingly and I felt so much better to be dry and out of the rain.

TO BE CONTINUED...........