Each year, as the leafs began to change from green to brown, “The Donner and Delaney Family Circus” was staked-down at the Colosseum in East Zeerk, and every night, the tent was full to capacity; this was attributed to the successful main attraction, which was performed by a mother and son duo who were known around Interraton as, “The Flying Sullivan’s”. The mother was Nushala, her parents were the Donner’s, and the son was Sopher who was expected to inherit the family business after his parents passed away.
Once a night during the week and twice on the weekends, these citizens hurtled through the air on trapeze swings, performing high-flying, death-defying feats not meant for the faint-at-heart, and they finalized their part of the show by passing one another on the tightrope; the audience called for their act as time approached, and shouted for an encore when they were done. In order to keep the crowds from tiring of the same old routine, they enjoyed incorporating new tricks into their show, and Sopher did research for these anytime he could get a break from his regular routine.
After his eighteenth birthday, the young citizen was given permission to leave home on Friday evening after his performance, and if he chose, did not have to return until Sunday morning; since he’d always been responsible with his chores and his grades did not suffer due to all of his out-of-school activities, Nushala and Simian allowed him a break once a month. The rules for these expeditions were that he was to never break the law, and that he had to be home before church services.
One Saturday afternoon, while on the way to the library in town, Sopher happened upon a horse-drawn-carriage which sat on the right side of the road, and as he guided his mare around it, he could see the one in the driver’s seat was a female with an expression of bewilderment on her face; he slowed Halanestra in order to offer assistance, and saw her eyes wet from tears.
Immediately, horse and elf stopped in front of her, and he got an idea. He gently crawled up the back of the equine’s head, and progressed down her nose on his tip-toes. When it seemed that he would surely fall, the male lept upwards, turned a backwards somersault, landed on his feet, and kissed her cheek.
Suddenly, there were shouts of excitement coming from the female, she’d begun to clap loudly, and shouted, “Encore, encore! Do it one more time for your future continental queen!”
“Which of the nine are you?” Sopher asked.
“Number nine, and who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” She said
“My name is Sopher Sullivan, you may be familiar with the “Donner and Delaney Circus”, which is not far from here,” he said.
“Yeah, so what’s it to you?” She inquired.
“You ever heard of the main attraction under that tent being referred to as,”The Flying Sullivan’s? He wanted to know.
“Sure, I am, everybody on the planet has seen their show, and your point would be?” Gretchen said.
“I am the male elf above the audience on a trapeze, and as I descend, everone covers their heads hoping I don’t crash into them, and the female who is with me is my mother, Nushala,” he replied.
“Really?” She said.
“Do you know another who can walk on their horse’s nose and turn a sommersault without using their hands?” Sopher wanted to know.
“Uh, no, honestly I don’t,” the royal one admitted.
“Well, now, at least you can say you’ve met one, and if you don’t mind, I have a question,” he replied.
“Ask, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability,” the future queen said.
“What are you doing out here, alone, and crying? I mean, life cannot be that bad for you, seeing as how you are who you are. By the way, I never caught your name,” Sopher said.
“That’s because I never threw it, and I’m out here like this because, quite frankly, I’m lost. When I get lost, panic settles into attack me physically and mentally, and I begin to lose my vision due to reaching a point of black-out,” Gretchen said.
“Where is it that you trying to go?” He asked.
“Devereux Estates,” she replied.
“Sweet, sweet, Gretchen, you are going to really be angry when you realize how close you are to the manor, but how do you...