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The People Circus
From a rooftop Ralik and Doran watched in wide eyed amazement as the caravan trundled by below them. All manner of colorful wagons from The Purple Pipers Circus and Menagerie rattled through their field of vision. Jugglers on stilts that seemed to soar into the sky ambled passed, and mysterious women dressed in revealing silken raiment drifted gracefully by many stunned adult onlookers.
“Let me see! I want to see, too!” howled Gareth. The little boy struggled to wedge himself between the two larger boys, but Doran pushed his little brother back. “Stop it, Doran. I want to see! Tell me what’s happening!” Ralik smirked at the antics of the two brothers.
“Wow, look at the size of that thing with the two humps on its back!” teased Doran. Gareth renewed his struggle to gain a purchase at the peak of the roof.
“What! It has two humps?” cried Gareth. Doran laughed at his little brother’s distress.
“He’s only teasing, Gareth,” soothed Ralik. “Let’s all go down and get a better look.” The three boys scampered down off the roof and joined the growing band of townspeople following the caravan through town, which took a sharp left turn at the town well and headed to the outskirts of Evertree. The wagons rolled to a stop in a large green field that hosted the yearly town fair, and workers appeared from everywhere. They scuttled around like hug ants, some erecting tents of various sizes and other staking the wagons into place. The place was abuzz with the movement of people and the growls and screams of strange hidden animals. The boys approached the encampment to get a closer look at all the bustle, but a huge man with bulging muscles and a cleft in his chin the size of a mountain valley appeared and stopped them with an outstretched palm. Over his shoulder he carried what looked like a crudely fashioned sign post and a wooden mallet.
“Sorry, lads, no one is permitted within the circus boundaries until the setup is complete,” he stated. He stabbed the sign into the ground and smacked it twice with the mallet, setting it firmly in place.
“No trespassing!” lamented Gareth.
“You lads run on home now and get a good night’s rest! You will need it if you are going to see the circus tomorrow!” advised the huge man. He turned on his heel and strode back into the confines of the wagons and tents, leaving the boys to sulk in their ill luck. Ralik yearned to wander in between the tents and watch as the preparations for tomorrow’s circus were being made. He was just about to suggest coming up with a plan to sneak into the encampment during the night when Sergeant Fisk of the town militia appeared beside them. He glanced at the No Trespassing sign and then glanced at the three boys standing before him.
“You three weren’t thinking of getting in there to have a look-see before the circus opens, were you?” Ralik and Doran fidgeted under his authoritative gaze, and Gareth simply hid behind his brother.
“Not anymore,” replied Ralik truthfully.
“Good, because you two are standing guard tonight to make sure nobody else does,” he announced. “Sergeant Renauph has taken a detachment to Forglow for training, and the rest are with Sergeant Denmot on patrol, so get to the barracks and get into uniform.” The two boys turned and began jogging back to town. Gareth turned to follow them, but Sergeant Fisk caught him by the collar. “Hold on, Gareth, you come with me.”
“But I can guard just as good as he can,” he boasted, staring after his brother as he trotted off.
“I know you can, but I only need two guards tonight. Let’s go.”