The sun sets on Haly's Circus as the last few giant tent posts are hauled onto the trucks and the final caravans are unhitched. The performers all bustle about in their civilian clothes moonlighting as road crew, a hive of movement around the collapsing camp as they pack up to move towns.
Jerome had been half watching the sky's chameleon game as he had helped Uncle Zak pack down the chuck wagon. A shout soon knocked him out of his trance as Uncle Zak forced him forward into a stack of pots, a scrawny ten year old he was hugely outweighed by his obese uncle. "Get to work you worthless idiot!" Zak barked with a sneer.
Jerome hurried back to shifting the pots and pans into the wagon, taking a last glimpse towards the sun. He hefted crates into the wagon spotting Jeremiah scribbling in a note book just behind the trailer. Carefully he takes two big saucepans off the stack, checking Uncle Zak has left he creeps around the side and up behind his hunched over brother. He opens his arms wide still moving slowly to not make a sound, the pans outstretched. With a menacing grin he smashes the pans together as hard as he can millimetres from the back of Jeremiah's head.
"Shit!! What the.." Jeremiah falls awkwardly to the ground spilling pages all over the floor as he jumps a mile, "Jerome..what..why?" He fumbles around after the papers his initial anger turning quickly to slightly worried annoyance.
"Oh lighten up broth-er, you're always so tense." Jerome dances around laughing at his own trick with glee, "serves you right for not helping, getting out of all the hard work again you little snake." Jerome's joy flits to anger and back to amusement with a sly smile.
"You know they need me to do the books, it's not my fault everyone else here is a moron Jerome" Jeremiah picks himself up straightening with a little pride, an air of contempt in his voice. "Oh yeah, I forgot you're too clever to work or have any fun brother, too smart for the rest of us idiots right?" Jerome smashes himself in the head with one of the pans theatrically "Duh, ha ha ha!! Ow."
Jeremiah looks at him with distain, spotting Zak behind his still clowning brother he quickly moves back heading into the bustle of the camp mumbling under his breath with a smirk "see you later Jerome."
Zak comes up behind Jerome who is totally absorbed in his own performance, he catches one of the pans stopping the kid mid fake swing, "Oh, hi uncle Zak" he smiles tauntingly, "Guess I'm in for it now then, well what's new?".
Jerome tried to dart out of the way but the pan has already been brought down connecting hard with his skinny rib cage, a couple more hard bashes leave Jerome breathless and crumpled on the floor, Uncle Zak saunters off laughing, "Get up, we are ready to leave, don't tempt me to leave your pathetic ass behind." he shouts back as he swings the pan happily.
Jerome scrapes himself up and hobbles back to his mother's caravan defeated, the darkness draws in and the circus pulls away from the field in convoy. Jeremiah sits neatly at the trailer table, a secret smile as he notices his brother's bruises, Jerome looks out of the window clutching his ribs pretending not to see his brother's amusement. He'll get his later.
He feels sick inside as soon as he thinks it.