Dave The Street Performer

• Adam Skimmings, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2007

DAVE THE STREET PERFORMER

Purpose: To show Dave’s importance in the neighbourhood..

All Sundays smell the same, no matter where you are. The first scent that everybody picks up, is the bacon sizzling on the greasy frypan. The second is the fresh vagrant air to signal that the children are still in bed. But one neighbourhood has something no other has. Dave the street performer !

At precisely nine fifteen every morning, Dave starts his magic act. As soon as Dave pulls his hat from his magic kit, he hears the soft echoes of children’s footsteps sprinting towards the local park. Before the children reach their destination Dave always arranges his decayed pack of cards preparing them for what’s about to come.
Dave stands in the local park with the massive oak trees surrounding him like soldiers over the enemy. Before his act, Dave always takes a deep breath to relax himself, knowing it will be his only peace before he finishes.
Children of all ages visit Dave’s magic act on their way to school. Ranging from the average seven year old with red untidy hair, to the dorky teenagers who try to figure out how he does it. Dave always tries to give an excellent performance to satisfy the younger children’s expectations.
Every now and then a miracle happens. Dave always enjoyed staring at the sky thinking of how beautiful it was. But sometimes on the rarest of days. It snowed! But Dave wasn’t joyful because the snow was beautiful. It was because he could perform his special magic trick.
Everyone says that no two snowflakes are identical. But Dave could prove them wrong. With a large magnifier and a tap of his wand. He could do the impossible. At the end of the day Dave was exceptionally happy with today’s performance. But Dave was homeless. Although many people would complain about having no home, Dave was just looking forward to tomorrows
performance and entertaining his neighbourhood in which he lived.
BY ADAM SKIMMINGS