The circus

 As a young boy, he would count the days until the circus came to town. He got up before the sun on that hot July morning and finished his chores, yelling for his best friend to hurry up as he flew past his house. They didn't want to be late for the parade. Together, they rode their bicycles down the dirt road to the huge empty lot where the circus would set up for one fantastic week. In the distance, they heard the circus music and an occasional blast from the elephants as they led the parade towards the empty lot. Both boys climbed a tree and sat on a sturdy branch, giving them front-row seats to the greatest show on earth.

One by one, the circus people passed by the boys, some waving as they passed. There were colorful wagons and a marching band, rolling cages that held the tigers, and a bunch of clowns in a tiny car. The boys were in awe as everything that was a circus passed in front of them. The trapeze artists and a guy who got shot out of a cannon sitting on the cannon and coming within feet from the boys. Hello, fellas he said and threw them each a ticket for free admission. Paper gold, they said to each other.

That night, the boys arrived with their free tickets and quickly found a great seat in the Big Top, anxious for the show to begin. Then it became quiet as the lights went on, and all the performers walked out to the main ring to the applause of everyone. It was an amazing night and one that would stay with the boys for a lifetime.

Many decades had passed since those boys saw Big Top until the day they saw a poster saying the circus was coming to town. They took the truck this time, as those bicycles had rusted away years ago. They parked under that same tree but weren't going to risk a broken hip by climbing it. Then, they heard the music and the blast of the elephants as they passed them by on their way to the lot. There were no free tickets this time, but both still had the ones given to them by the man on the cannon. That night, they watched the show with all its beauty and pageantry, realizing once again it was the greatest show on earth.

Mike 2024