The spring sun was warm on the face and the young grass and flowers were sweet to smell. Henry Haggen laid sprawled out in the meadow next to the Burnham and Paddy's Travelling Circus. His year and a half with the circus had taken him to places he'd only heard of - and some he hadn't. It seemed all magical and dreamlike to the hill man.
Henry smiled to himself and tucked his hands under the back of his head and reminisced about his friends and the sights he'd seen. He was thankful for the moment that he could sneak away for a few minutes to himself. It had been an exhausting day of cleaning cages and getting animals ready for the evening performance - especially Nosey, the monkey that landed him his job with the circus. Henry then sighed and closed his eyes hoping to catch a few minutes of sleep, however, he heard the heavy steps trashing through the tall grass toward him, "Haggen!? Where are you?"
Henry opened his eyes and rolled onto his side and elbows while he peeked through the long grass where he spotted his boss moving toward him - who also happened to be Paddy, the second partner in the business. Henry narrowed his eyes and noted that the red-haired Irishman had his fists balled up and he looked somewhat angry; which was a lack good judgement on Henry's behalf.
Paddy stopped abut twenty feet away from the hill man and yelled out again for his employee, "Haggen, where are you lad? I need to "really" talk to you," he said as he looked around the vast field with his teeth clenched tightly together. His jaw muscles hurt he had them knitted so tightly together. In fact, Paddy was certain one of his teeth cracked under the strain.
Henry quickly shrunk back down, turning and began to crawl away not realizing that his movement in the grass gave away his very location. Paddy spotted the wiggling body cutting though the green field, "I see ya, Haggen. Ye can just stop right there or I'll shoot ya!" Paddy yelled.
Henry's eyes widened in fear and he swallowed hard while flattening himself out to the ground still hoping that Paddy hadn't seen him. His mind was trying to figure out why Paddy would shoot him and why he seemed so angry looking that he needed to talk to him before his shift started. Slowly Henry stopped crawling and turned perching on his knees, "Hiya, Mr Paddy..." he weakly said and waved to his boss.
"What in bloody blazes are you doing laying around out here!? Ye have a job to do, don't you?!" Paddy continued to grow angry at Henry, who continued to try and slink away, "I Thought I was still on my beak and was just trying to catch a few winks, Sir." Henry continued to smile.
"Just catching a few winks out here isn't doing your job, now is it? Your break ended a half an hour ago..." Paddy's accent grew thick when he was enraged and it didn't take much. He leaned toward Henry who remained on his knees.
"I did everything I was supposed to before I came out here, Sir...I know I did, cause I do it every day." Henry squeaked and tried to smile even harder.
"Oh for sure, you did that. For sure, lad and a heap much more!" Paddy took two big steps forward and towered over Henry, "Ye left the bloody gate open on that damn monkey of your's!" Paddy pointed back to the compound in anger. "Every bloody animal is loose!" his face reddened in furry and his body shook with anger, "Get that mangy monkey of your's and get out of here!" he bellowed.
Henry looked passed Paddy and saw elephants and camels roaming freely in one part of the field, while the big cats had a zebra cornered in a stall with several men trying to help. Nosey was cheering them on from a fence. Henry swallowed and with a dim smile on his face, "I guess I should have never taught that little fellow how to open his cage," Henry snorted not realizing the severity of the situation.
"Get out!! Go, now before they arrest me for murder - and that would be your's!!" Paddy yelled again as his body shook in furry.
Henry slowly stood and looked around, "But where will I go?" he asked merely back to his boss.
Paddy calmed himself and glared at that the half-witted Haggen who stood before him, "I could suggest a few places..." he said sarcastically while looking over to his co-workers as they tried to catch the animals.
"Oh?" Henry smiled, "Like where?"
Paddy drew a deep breath and turned to Henry, "Anywhere, Haggen. Anywhere but here. You're fired."
Henry curled his mouth in thought and realized that Paddy was in fact serious, "Oh. Okay. I'll go and get my things and fetch Nosey. I can tell when we're not wanted," Henry shrugged, "I guess I could always to back to Dodge City." Henry walked toward his tent to retrieve his things.
Paddy's shoulders sagged as he knew he just wasted a whole heap of energy one someone who didn't even notice. "Grrr," he muttered to himself as he turned back to the disaster that was unfolding back at the circus tent city. "God, help the people of Dodge City with that one on the loose," Paddy looked to the ground and shook his head, "They are going to need it."