Chapter 2: Tiger
As the Ringleader, Claude is the one who is introduced to the audience first. He has five minutes to begin before I get down on the ground and perform my trick.
Powered hands to assist in keeping my balance and steadiness.
"Welcome to the night of your life, a reminder that this is not a family-friendly Circus so if you've got your children here cover their eyes or kick 'em out I guess," he laughs. "Welcome to the night that will change your life. If you could simply give them a round of applause for their work, which involves them putting their lives at danger for your enjoyment, I would greatly appreciate it. We have a few things for tonight, some of the stunts are some that you've probably never seen before, and all of the stunts and performances done are by professionals, so as the good influence that I am, don't try anything you see here at home," said the host.
"Alright, for our first action, we have the lovely Doll with her aerial hoop performance," the emcee announced.
As Claude leaves the ring, the lights go out, and the attention of the spotlights turns to me. At the same time, the aerial silk that is holding my hoop begins to fall.
My skin glistened with glitter that had been sprayed on by one of the stunt workers, and my hair and makeup matched the rest of the ensemble perfectly. Maintaining my position until the hoop reaches the spot where I need it to be.
When I go to fall backward, the crowd erupts in gasps as the backs of my knees catch me and prevent me from going down.
I pull myself back up to my feet and immediately start shocking the audience with every move that I make. Hearing their gasps in response to my staged falls since that is the goal we are going for.
to induce fear within them.
When my act is over, I let go of the hoop and let out a loud scream as I free fall into the shadows, where a member of the crew waiting in the shadows is able to catch me from below. After hearing some...
"Oh my god."
"Is she feeling okay?"
"Where on earth did she go?"
"That gave me the chills."
I was terrified that I wouldn't be caught and would fall to my death, but here I am, departing the ring in perfect health despite my worst fears.
I overheard a number of gasps and even a cry from the crowd.
After I've left the ring and the hoop has been removed, the lights will come back on to reveal Claude standing in the exact same spot in the middle of the arena.
"Next up is Fernando with his beast performance, don't be scared his little cat doesn't bite," Claude says as he exits the ring for Fernando to enter with his powerful tiger. "Gave me a bit of a fright there with the drop," Claude admits. "Don't be afraid his little cat doesn't bite."
Hearing the roar of the tiger in response to a command.
My lower back is touched by someone's hand. "You did well, Doll, keep that up, and I'll reward you at the end of the week," Claude tells her. "I'm looking forward to it."
"What kind of reward would there be?" I inquire with a bit of a gasp. "It wouldn't be a reward if you knew what it was, so be patient, Doll."
The prospect of the prize that I'm hoping for is making the space in between my legs quite hot.
"Could you give me a hint as to what it could be so that I know when to put in extra effort?" I give my eyelashes a little bat. He strokes my side and says, "Well, I can't give that away," as he makes the statement.
He is standing right behind me at this very moment and has both hands on my waist.
Am I exhaling with a lot of force?....... Yes. Yes. I. Am.
He connects his fingers and adds, "Your waist is so small," while his hands are still on either side of my waist. "Your waist is so small."
He repositions his hands and slides them even further down. "I can only imagine how tight you'd feel, because this weekend I'll be discovering between your legs."
I can't help but stamp my foot in exasperation. Daydreaming is the bane of my existence. The fact that his hand is still caressing my side, though, is at least a victory... It is no longer possible to win because his hand came to a stop.
I had just become aware that I had trodden on his foot when he asked me, "What was that for?"
I apologize and say, "I'm sorry I... I didn't mean to."
As Fernando leaves the arena, he makes a hand gesture with his other hand, puts his top hat back on, and proceeds toward the boxing ring. I kneel down. "Hey, Darla," I say in a childlike voice as I pet the most sociable tiger that has ever existed.
She makes a few noises that are gratifying to her and then rubs her head on me, which causes me to fall over somewhat.
"Who's a good tiger?" you might ask. She has such a delicate and lovely appearance. After Fernando flicks his fingers, she quickly lowers herself to the ground and rests her head on my thighs.
Since Dagger and a few other people are the stunt performers for the outside, they have to work practically the entire night while we take turns performing our duties inside.
I tell Rosemary to "Have fun with the tight rope," as she begins to climb the ladder, so that she can have a good time. She greets me with a friendly smile. I can sense that she is quite anxious.
As Claude walks off stage to prepare for the next performance, the audience applauds his departure.
Fernando comes up and takes a seat next to me while patting his gigantic cat. He tells me that this will be her last performance ever.
"What? Why?" I ask. "She's pregnant and needs to rest, and I don't want to put too much stress on her with the training; therefore, beast will be taking over," he explains.
It seems likely that Beast is the father.
"How long have they been pregnant for?" "How far along are they?" I ask. "Well, she's a Bengal tiger, beast is just your average tiger, and Bengal tigers carry their young for approximately 104 to 106 days," the trainer said.
"Are you sure that Bengal tigers are native to India?" I ask. He nods. In addition to that, he is known to possess a white tiger. Dunno he's like a tiger tamer.
"If you come around my tent later I can show you, Missy, my white tiger," he adds to her.
"Why does she not perform as much as she used to?" I ask. "She's getting very sick due to her old age, and I've had her since I was literally a kid," he says. "I've had her since I was literally a kid."
I pout. "Darla is only seven years old but missy is around twenty tigers only live till about ten so she's fighting," he says. "Darla is only seven years old but missy is around twenty tigers only live till about ten."
I tell her, "I'll come and see her," and I mean it. Although he is only twenty-six years old, Fernando appears to be in his thirties. "That's not a bad idea," he comments.
I give him a tiniest of smiles, and Darla whimpers before rolling onto his back.
I push myself to my feet and brush off the dirt.
I find myself staring up at Rosemary as she deftly makes her way across the thin wire. "I wonder if I could do that," I mutter to myself.
"You can do anything if you put your heart towards it," adds Fernando.
Dagger walks in and says, "My heart goes towards Dolly," as he enters the room. I sneer at it.
"Why do you keep getting me into trouble for no apparent reason, Dagger?" What have I ever done to you, you ask? I ask. He shrugs and says, "Sorry, I guess my ways are just sadistic."
Claude's large hand comes up and grabs my face as I roll my eyes and give him a dirty look. "Yes?" I ask.
He instructs me, "I want you to walk the wire," and I do so. I tense. I want to know, "Why... Why?"
"Because I said so," is what he responds with. "Do you want her to die? Fernando warns that because she has never done it before and there is no net below her, if she falls she will die.
"If she doesn't do it and succeed, she can leave," Claude says. "She has the option."
I feel like everyone here simply gangs up on me for no reason. I respond by saying, "I have never walked the wire before; what if I fall and die?" This is due to the fact that if I fail, I will perish.
He tells you, "You had better get a move on with climbing that ladder because I only have ten seconds before I take you and your belongings outside."
I gulp.
"Balance poles are up at the very top of the ladder." I walk away and make my way to the ladder. My heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest.
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