Chapter 24: A Performance... and a Revelation

In the evening hours, it seemed that the time had come to arrange the circus animals for that evening's performance, so the employees arrived with a lot of decorative accessories in their hands. The three tamers reopened each cage where the animals were. With the help of their employees, they bathed and cleaned them and then put their accessories such as: frames, jewelry, colorful costumes, bows, and even some of them were made up... in addition to putting colored patches to those who brought severe wounds to cover them. Diddy was dressed in red-striped suits with a blue bowtie and colorful hat, and had his face painted circus style. And no... he couldn't escape at that time either; the tamers carried their shotguns at their sides all the time and watched everything.

Suddenly, other employees arrived with three plates of food and handed them to the tamers. These dishes consisted of skewers of meat on a thin slice of bread as well as chips and vegetables, which could imply that it was the food that the animals had mentioned to Diddy and Dixie. The tamers proceeded to eat each of their dishes while still keeping an eye on the animals.

At the end, the people moved the caged animals again. This time, they took them out of the building and then took them to where the circus was, which was diagonal to it. It was still very early, so the stands around the track were empty, but the place inside was huge and very elegant that even gave an appearance of being a happy place.

Finally, they left all the cages with the animals behind the huge curtains. The site was half-lightened, and there they left the animals before starting with the performance. All the people left for the time being, leaving the animals alone until it was time for the act to begin.

"I hate this clown costume," complained a gorilla, who had been dressed in costumes of various colors.

"And don't even tell me about this stupid pink skirt," added a bear, who was wearing a ballerina's tutu.

"This painting is uncomfortable," added an elephant with a painted face and a pile of jewelry. "And these rings are annoying."

The rest of the animals murmured their complaints about their costumes, and only a few liked it.

Dixie, who had also been following them, had slipped under the curtains of the circus. Diddy, upon seeing her, turned on his back immediately because of the style he brought.

"Uh... Diddy?" Dixie called it.

Diddy turned to her, embarrassed that she would see him that way and earn her laughter. Dixie, as soon as she saw how Diddy had been dressed, could not contain herself and began to let out a few small laughs that almost turned into laughter.

"Don't make fun!" Diddy said, crossing his arms and frowning.

"It's that…" Dixie couldn't continue because of the laughter.

In the distance, she saw a small mirror, which she picked up and showed to Diddy. He opened his eyes intensely upon seeing his reflection and the style of face painting that had been done to him. Dixie just continued to laugh.

"What a horror!" Diddy exclaimed in disgust. "A little more and they leave me the same as Mandrew or Melenky."

"Hey, chimp girl," said a gorilla who was on the sides toward Dixie. "You'd better hide, I think people are coming."

Suddenly, footsteps began to be heard, accompanied by human murmurs behind the curtain. Dixie immediately went to hide behind the cages just before several people entered. The room where they were was the dressing rooms, since there were a lot of mirrors, costumes and accessories typical of a circus and, in addition, the people who had arrived had their faces made up and exuberant hairstyles.

"And who are they?" Dixie whispered to the animals.

"They're also circus stars," replied an elephant.

"And they are also trained by whips?" Diddy asked in confusion.

"No, they are trained normally."

"In fact, they do better tricks than ours," added one gorilla. "They should just participate, not us."

They waited a couple more hours. They only watched the human acrobats get ready for the performance in all their colorful and exotic costumes, while others rehearsed certain moves with which they would perform. It was a long time that, for the rest of the animals, was already normal, but for Diddy and Dixie it was very boring.

After a few long hours, a big crowd of human voices was gradually heard outside in the stands. Increasingly, the circus was filled with people and, at the same time, several lights were illuminating the stage.

Dixie sneaked under the cages until she reached the curtain and peeked stealthily to better look outside. A few minutes later, the three tamers entered the stage; they were dressed in elegant costumes typical of circus presenters. The one-eyed tamer had a microphone in hand, all set to go. Looking back into the curtain, Dixie could also see other employees manipulating machines that projected a huge white screen towards the public, they also carried a camera from which they took a cartridge and inserted it into the machine; seconds later, it began to broadcast a video accompanied by images where the circus artists appeared, as well as the tamers with the animals, either in other shows or giving them food as a prize at the end of the training, even appeared the photo that had been taken to Diddy that same afternoon with the tamers.

"Your picture of training this afternoon appeared, Diddy," Dixie whispered with a few small laughs.

"What?!" Diddy exclaimed. "Oh, no!"

At the end, the tamer of the patched eye came out to the track with microphone in hand to welcome. The whole atmosphere outside was pleasant: there was a crowd of people excited to want to watch the show, accompanied by children with candies in hand and animal-themed accessories.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Annual Festival of Zoovlaki Brothers Circus" said the one-eyed tamer "The biggest circus in the city, where you will laugh and have fun tonight with our talented artists, and of course, with the show of our beloved animals..."

"Wow! We are very beloved to them," a lion commented wryly from his cage.

"... and without further ado, enjoy the function!"

The music turned on, and soon after, the people behind the curtain took to the track as a parade, accompanied by two elephants that had been freed for a while from their cages. With all that, they were applauded by the crowd of people in the stands.

Subsequently, the show began. The first numbers were of the acrobats who performed incredible tricks such as walking on a giant wheel, driving a unicycle along with several people on board, performing contortions and aerial dances, and could not miss the typical tricks such as tightrope, juggling or trapeze and, finally, could not miss the show of clowns who made people laugh out loud. After all, the circus numbers were really impressive. Dixie, while observing each of them, was so fascinated, that for a moment she perceived again the pleasant atmosphere she had when had entered the zoo and even reminded her of her first years of life; she hadn't seen a show like that for years. Among the animals present, she was the only one who could observe the performance, since the rest only passed in the cages... But as she turned her gaze into the curtain, the atmosphere changed; Dixie remembered that the circus was not fun for the rest of the animals, even the jokes of the clowns that could be heard, caused fun only to her and Diddy, since for the rest of the animals nothing seemed to make them smile; they only showed muffled and tired expressions.

Several numbers later, they announced the show of the animals, where the first to leave were the elephants. The attending employees entered the dressing room with keys in hand, and opened the elephants' cages to take them out to the track, being received with loud shouts and applause from the crowd. The number began as they had rehearsed it in the afternoon, with the three tamers as guides on the performance. Successively, the other numbers with animals continued; they did everything as they had rehearsed it, but this time it was more complicated: the platforms were much higher and the rings were now on fire, something that caused a lot of discomfort for those animals. However, people applauded with emotion all those shows as if it were their favorite tv show. At the end of each number, the animals were rewarded with snacks by the tamers, before being returned to their cages in the dressing rooms. No mistreatment was shown to the public as witnessed in training.

The last to present his number was Diddy, who as soon as he entered, was received as if he were a star of great importance. Several people had already seen him at the zoo, which earned him greater admiration from the crowd. Diddy smiled forcibly, since in addition to being flattered by the people, he also felt threatened by the tamers, who before taking him to the stage, warned him again with their shotguns not to try to escape for any reason.

The tamers didn't accompany him to the front, as Diddy could do the tricks himself. Those tricks and acrobatics that Diddy performed were similar to those that the human acrobats did, which was the most striking for the rest of the people. He ended his participation with a fall on a trampoline, being applauded by the people for a long time. His whole performance would have been a fun time for Diddy… were it not for the harsh and fixed threatening gazes of the three tamers. Finally, the tamers took him to his cage again, before giving the farewell words to the public.

And that was a day in the life of that circus, an incredible and fun show for people, but quite the opposite for the animals that lived there.

The employees of the circus put the caged animals back in their room like the beginning. After they had cleaned them and removed all their accessories, they left the room and left them to sleep.

It was late at night, and the room was dark. Again, there were only the animals, who were already preparing to sleep. With the exception of Diddy; he was scared and didn't want to be in that place anymore, not after seeing what the tamers and their training were really like. Dixie was also present, seriously thinking about how to get Diddy out of there; what she would have to do was find a way to steal the keys from one of the tamers.

"Are there circus performances every day?" Dixie asked the rest of the animals.

"Not always," replied an elephant. "But tomorrow and the day after there will also be."

"How did you guys... get here?" Diddy asked them after a moment of silence. "If that can be known, of course."

Everyone looked up and looked as if they had been asked something they didn't feel comfortable answering, in fact, none of them wanted to answer at first.

"Well... I've been living here for as long as I can remember," an elephant encouraged himself to talk with a low look. "I've heard that I was separated from my mom as soon as I was born."

"Some of us were kidnapped without us noticing," added one of the lions. "They would shoot darts at us to sleep, and suddenly we would appear here with these monstrous gentlemen."

"I was kidnapped as a child," said one of the zebras in a muted tone. "I had a big family that I don't even remember their faces anymore. I was first from the zoo but then I became part of the circus, I thought it would be fun, but no."

"I was brought not many years ago," one of the gorillas commented sadly. "I had a son who now I don't know where he is or how he is without me."

"My brother and I were also brought as children; we were separated from our families," added a tiger with a look of indignation. "Do you know? My brother was the one who destroyed the eye of one of those tamers in an attempt to escape… But those three stupid ones killed my brother."

"The three of us were captured from where we lived," the little bears added. "In fact, it was my mother who left one of those tamers without half of his arm," the bears looked down and heaved a sigh. "But they still managed to bring us here. We even had more brothers here, but... you could imagine what those monstrous tamers did to them."

The rest of the animals also told similar stories: some had been born in that place, but most said that they were separated from their families at a very young age. Those stories touched Diddy and Dixie... Even Dixie was finding the matter somewhat familiar...

"By the way, what were your names, little monkeys?" an elephant asked them after a while.

"I'm Diddy."

"And I'm Dixie."

"Are you siblings?" a rhino asked them.

"No, we're friends," Diddy replied.

"Friends, huh?" said a zebra, looking up. "Or are you... a couple?"

"No, no, we're just friends," Dixie interrupted, smiling with some little nerves along with Diddy.

"And where do you come from?"

Then, Diddy and Dixie spent several minutes talking a little about themselves with the other animals; it seemed that there was already a little more confidence compared to when they first arrived. Likewise, the animals told them about them even though, due to the lifestyle they had, they didn't have much to tell.

Finally, the wee hours had arrived and all the animals began to fall asleep. The last to stay awake were Diddy and Dixie, as they were still thinking about how to get out of there; they just had to see how everyone slept. Diddy was sitting inside his cage and Dixie was next to him.

"I thought this would be fun, but it's all a prison," Diddy said with his arms crossed.

"You're right, this circus is terrible," Dixie added with utter disappointment. "In the circus I was in many years ago, tamers and other people were not like that."

"Didn't they beat you up or anything the same as here?" Diddy asked.

"Not at all, that is, they only scolded us if someone behaved a little badly, but they never treated us as ugly as those three tamers do here. People there even took care of us... On the other hand, here, it's really a whole prison."

"Oh, this is my fault," Diddy reproached himself, throwing his head against the bars. "I shouldn't have gone out like that just that night, we wouldn't be in this confinement."

"No, Diddy... it's not your fault you got caught," Dixie replied, taking pity on him. "Now we just have to find a way out of here."

Both remained silent, still wondering what could happen in the next few days and wondering if they would get out of there.

"Uhh, Dixie," Diddy said after a while of silence. "How do you think we'll get out of here?"

"The tamers have keys... I just have to get them and…" Dixie was with her eyes narrowing and starting to doze next to Diddy's cage.

"Hey, you can't fall asleep right here, you can be found out," Diddy told her, laughing a little and giving her little pushes through the bars, to which Dixie reacted again. She was very tired, as she hadn't slept at all since the day before. "Well, anyways, tomorrow we'll surely leave here. But where are you going to sleep?"

"There are several hiding places around here," Dixie replied, standing up. "And I'd better sleep by now, I'm really sleepy. See you tomorrow, Diddy."

"Okay, Dixie. Rest well."

Dixie began walking to a hiding place between the cages. Diddy was going to sleep too... but suddenly, it occurred to him to ask a curious question to Dixie that he had had in his mind during the last moments.

"Uhh, Dixie."

"Yeah?" she said, returning to his cage.

"By the way... So, weren't really you with... Jemky?" he asked curiously, to which Dixie made an instant gesture of disgust.

"Did you really think I'd date that burnt fur thug?" Dixie said with a frown.

With that said, Dixie continued to walk towards her sleeping place. After hearing that answer, Diddy took a few small and silent leaps of excitement for a moment, accompanied by a wide smile; he felt how a small part of his enthusiasm was restarted in the middle of the situation in which they were. Later, with a small smile of relief, he settled down to sleep in his cage.

"Uhh... Diddy," Dixie called him, returning to his cage after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah?" Diddy replied again, still smiling.

"I-it's that... there's one thing I have to tell you," Dixie said, suddenly showing a frightened face... She looked very different from how she was a few minutes ago.

Diddy noticed her sudden change in expression, so he stopped smiling and started looking at her strangely.

"Yeah? What's up, Dixie?"

"It's that... It's a-about... J-Jemky," she replied in a trembling, almost stuttering voice, which increased Diddy's curiosity.

"Uhh... yeah?... What about him?" Diddy asked, looking confused at Dixie's face.

"I-it's t-that I..." suddenly, Dixie's face was turning pale and she began to tremble as if she was having difficulty letting go of her words. She took a heavy breath before continuing. "I… I shot him!"

Diddy opened his eyes as wide as he could and was completely paralyzed by what Dixie said; he wasn't so sure at first if what he had just heard from her was true.

"W-what... What?!" Diddy exclaimed loudly that he almost woke the others up, but then he spoke quietly. "What are you talking about?!... So... you... Did you kil-"

"I don't know, I guess!" interrupted Dixie, frightened and in a low voice too. "B-but it was an accident, I-I didn't want to get to that and-"

"Wait, wait, calm down!" he interrupted by calming her down and putting his hands on her shoulders behind bars, still trying to process whether what she had just revealed was true. "Are you serious?... And... How did that happen?"

"Well, it happened on the last day of school, after leaving," Dixie replied in a frightened voice. "He was chasing me because I was going to look for you to tell you what was happening, but then he stopped me and threatened me. And then I attacked him and ran aimlessly off a cliff... and that's where it all happened."

"What are you saying?!" Diddy exclaimed, finishing processing it. "But how did you reach to do that, Dixie?"

"That's where he reached me and told me not to tell anything about what happened with the emerald and the pyramid, or else... they four were going to hurt you. There I couldn't take it anymore and I confronted him, I managed to take the gun from him and pointed it at him... I wasn't going to shoot him, but then he took out another one he had saved and I didn't know what to do, and... I just shot. Oh, and since we were near that cliff, he fell into the river due to the hit."

Suddenly, Diddy had been cold with what she told him and, at the same time, he was astonished to hear how Dixie had been brave enough to face one of those four bad children... even if he was at gunpoint. But anyway, he noticed a guilty and frightened expression in Dixie; the situation seemed to look very serious.

"Dixie... that is... A-Are you really telling me that?!" he asked her, still not recovering from the impact. "And ... did the other kongs know?"

"No, but they found him on the banks of the river the next day, and they say that a group of apes took him, but we don't know who. In fact, everyone on DK Island was scandalized by that too... Even with your missing they think that a thief is on the loose or a gang that steals children and they even believe that they did the same to you."

"What?! But... didn't you tell them anything?"

"No, how do you think I was going to tell them, 'I was the one who hurt that child found in the river?'" Dixie replied before putting her frightened face back on. "But I'm afraid... to be accused of being a criminal... and that they impose some punishment on me."

"No, I don't think they'll impose it on you if you only did it in defense. I know they'll believe you, Dixie," Diddy said before pausing and trying to defuse the situation. "Hey... but did that really happen?"

"Yeah!" replied Dixie, still feeling guilty, before looking down. "Ugh... But I really didn't want that to happen... I'm afraid they know it was me. I mean, of course I was going to defend myself, but I didn't want to get to that either."

Indeed, that boy everyone was talking about on DK Island was Jemky, and yes... Dixie was the one who had done it. Deep down, she also carried that charge of conscience, which she had for days and which worsened with Diddy's missing. No one on DK Island knew that detail... except for Dixie's family, which was the last thing she confessed to them before going out to find Diddy.

Something that had reassured her even a little, was that Diddy at least had not been captured by the quartet of bullies, because she feared that because of Jemky's matter, they would do something to Diddy in revenge.

Diddy was still shocked and at the same time worried about Dixie with what she said she had done.

"No... don't worry, Dixie. Surely, they will not discover you if no one else knows. In addition... Jemky may have survived, though if so... I just hope the other three fools don't exact revenge... For now, go to rest, okay?" Diddy said, patting her on the shoulder and trying to calm her down, even if he wasn't so calm after the news either. "Okay, first we have to get out of here, and as soon as we get back to the island, we'll try to fix it... I promise."

"Okay, Diddy," Dixie replied with a look of insecurity. "I just hope nothing bad happens anymore."

With that said, Dixie retreated again to go to his provisional resting place. She looked quite fearful after having given that revelation.

For his part, Diddy stayed watching her until she went to rest, and then he also settled back into his cage. When a few minutes ago he was smiling as he prepared to sleep, now he was all cold after having heard Dixie's event; it never crossed his mind that something like this would happen. As if it hadn't been enough to know that those bad kids had reappeared armed, he had now known that Dixie might have gotten into trouble... in serious trouble. Anyway, he couldn't do anything else for the time being, so he continued trying to sleep, even if now it would cost him a little.