A Circus Story

• Varsha Peri, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2013

“Ouch, you stepped on my toe!” I said as my friend returned from going to the toilet. But she didn’t hear me because she was just as excited as I was. I was waiting in the queue with my best friend to get into the circus tent. She has been my best friend since I first started school and I knew this was going to be fun with her.! My birthday was about two months ago and as a present my parents bought my best friend and I tickets to the most popular circus in the world, Big Top Circus! We were now giving our tickets to the guard and then my heart beating fast… I went into the circus tent!

“AHHH!” I screamed. It was amazing in the circus tent. Everything was red and gold and there were over a thousand seats. My friend and I sat in the third row, right in the centre so I knew we would have a good view. “BEEP!” the horn blew. The show was going to start!

I was enjoying myself immensely. In the first trick, cute little bears were in an obstacle race jumping through hoops, doing summersaults and doing back flips in mid-air. And then they did the most adorable pose at the end! Everyone applauded so hard that I thought the noise would raise the roof! “Oh,” I said to myself. I had just realised that the second trick was about to begin!

“WOW!” The acrobats just formed a pyramid while eating a apples and juggling six balls with one hand! I thought that was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my entire life! One of the acrobats put his hands up, ready to pull the other acrobat up on him. Suddenly, something horrible happened. The acrobat ready to pull the other acrobat up toppled over and fell! The whole audience gasped and put their hands over their mouths while the ringmaster hurriedly rushed to the phone and called the ambulance.

The paramedics were surprised to discover that the acrobat’s shoes were covered in an unusual slime that smelt faintly like bananas. The ringmaster called the police to investigate. The audience were required to remain seated as they believed the culprit was still here. I felt shocked and my best friend and I sat in silence.

The police came to the conclusion that a person, possibly sitting in the audience had sneaked backstage and made the shoes slippery with some sort of banana smelling slime.

My friend and I were next in line to be interviewed by the police. I grabbed her hand in fear Then I got the shock of my life her hand was slippery and there was the faint odour of bananas.

By Varsha Peri