The Circus Comes to Town – A Short Story by Dewey Dewster!

Here’s the short-story that Dewey Dewster has written for the September 2010 Blog Carnival.  I think most of us found the September Caricature particularly “evil” – Dewey more so:) But if he could weave a story full of innocence and fun for the woman in the caricature, he’s nothing short of amazing.

So here’s the story that he wrote, and which he believes just doesn’t fit into his blog but which I think fits beautifully in mine, which is a Circus of Caricatures 🙂

The Circus Comes to Town

(A Short Story by Dewey Dewster of Love Those Wires blog)

There’s nothin’ like the fall with its changing colors. After the hot temperatures of summer, the weather finally cools off in the fall. We are actually gettin’ some rain now and we haven’t had much of that ferever.

The days are gettin’ shorter, the breezes are pickin’ up and the summer flowers are dyin’ away ta make room for the fall flowers to bloom. Bright orange pumpkins line the sidewalks outside of grocery stores, and beg ya ta just pick ’em up and take ’em ta the checkout lines. Ya can already see ’em sittin’ on front steps and peekin’ outta porch railings. They’re tellin’ ya that Halloween will soon be here complete with treat ‘n treatin’ kids goin’ from door ta door draggin’ bags loaded with candy. Attention dentists, yer customers are comin’ ‘n soon.

Along with the days of fall come the stories of ghosts and goblins…ya know the ones ya grew up hearin’ about from yer elders. The same stories that had ya on the edge of yer seat and afraid ta go ta sleep alone at night.

Well, Gram ‘n Pap were tellin’ us one of those stories the other night and we were just sittin’ there listenin’ intently. The story was a about a circus that was comin’ ta town back in the old days when strange creatures were paraded about fer everyone ta oogle at…. ‘n snigger at too. People who were way too tall ta be real……..too short ta be grown ups……..two people who were connected tagather…..just freaks of nature that were trying ta earn a livin’ and couldn’t do it any other way.

There was a man who ate fire….stickin’ burnin’ swords inta his mouth…….can ya imagine that…..’n not catchin’ on fire either ? ‘N a man covered from heat ta toe with hair…like a wild animal…..well, maybe not too wild…. but kinda like us…… cause we have a lot of hair…..all over our bodies.

So Pap was sayin’ when this circus came ta town all the kids in the neighborhood ran ta get tickets ‘n rode their bikes ta the fairgrounds ta watch the show. Everyone walked around with open mouths and wide eyes tryin’ ta take the whole scene in and not miss a thing. Well, the show was goin’ on inta the evenin’ and bein’ fall, it was gettin’ dark before it was over. Pap and his friends were standin’ by a stage …’n behind the stage was a curtin. There was a noise comin’ from behind that curtain ‘n it was screamin’ ‘n shoutin’ hysterically. Ya could hear someone cryin’ …..’n someone scrapin’ the floor with somethin’…..’n then there was just silence.

Why, ya could hear pin drop.

Pap ‘n his friends were wonderin’ what the devil was goin’ on and ventured ta take a peek behind that curtain. What they saw had the hairs standin’ up on the back of their neck and their hearts beatin’ wildly. There was a creature sittin’ in a chair….stiff as a board…….with a skull ‘n crossbones gracin’  ‘er neck and decoratin’ the tight bun ‘er hair was drawn inta. Her ears were pointed even more than Mister Spock’s….. ‘n ‘er eyes were dartin’ around from side ta side…..like she was lookin’ fer someone ta emerge from behind the closed door just behind ‘er. Why Pap said she looked like pure evil….a spawn of the devil…..fer sure.

Since they were just boys at the time, Pap and his friends wanted nothin’ more than ta escape that scene unscathed with their childhood innocence still intact but it was not ta be. Before they knew what was happenin’ the door behind the creature opened up and out fell a tall man…..taller than anyone Pap had ever seen. He was sprawled out on the floor with a huge knife stickin’ outta his chest and blood runnin’ from the wound stainin’ the floor. Pap and his friends rushed forward ta see if he was breathin’ ‘n saw a piece of paper clutched in his hand.

They pried the note from his fingers, unfolded and read it. What they saw made ’em laugh ‘n laugh til they had ta hold their sides ta stand up. The note read ” Welcome to the circus………you have been entertained today by the Peter the slender giant and Elsa the witch woman. Can ya believe that….it was all a show and they fell right inta the middle of it.

Pap ‘n his friends left the room as quietly as they entered it. They had a story ta tell now every fall when the leaves started changin’ colors and fallin’, the winds started pickin’ up and the days got shorter and shorter. They had somethin’ ta talk about around a campfire and on the way ta school….’n they could still see the frightenin’ sight of the witch-woman in their minds when they lay in bed at night tryin’ ta fall asleep. Yep, the circus has come ta town….come ta the big top fer yer thrills.