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 know Missus Devereux?” Sopher inquired.
“If I am the future ninth continental queen, that makes me Ecko’s baby-sister, and it entitles me passage to visit her. So, my friend, how do I know Missus Devereux?” She asked.
“Excuse me, I forgot that you are the princess’s sister for a moment, and if you want I can show you how to get to their place.
“I’d be a might obliged if you’d take time from your day to show me the way, thing is, I’m still learning how to find my way around, and I’m doing it alone in order to get sed to travelng independently,” Gretchen told him.
“I get it, you weren’t born with a
“No, you don’t have to do that, and I’ll show you the way. It will be my pleasure, just follow me,” he said. With that, the citizen climbed up onto Halanestra’s back, and she picked up the carriage reins. In a few minutes, the royal and the citizen were sitting in front of the estate, and when he caught sight of her face, it was the darkest shade of crimson he’d ever seen on anyone. Instincts, and the experience of having seven little sisters, told him that in the moment it was best to remain silent, and allow the female to speak, first, especially when they were embarrassed.
“Would you like to come in, have lunch, and get to know one another? To be honest, from the moment you lept off her nose, I’ve been captivated by your existence, and I’d like to see what we can do together,” Gretchen said.
“Sure, I’d be more than honored to sit down with royals, and have lunch,” Sopher said.
“Mamma Jazzi must’ve seen us riding up the driveway, and is curious to find out who I’ve brought home. By the way, I don’t just visit the princess here, I have my own room on the third floor, and I’ve called this place my home since I was in diapers. Follow me, we’ll ride up to meet her, and I’ll introduce the two of you. Then, you can meet our brothers, and I can tell Ballista that you’ll be staying to eat with us. Thing about the elves living in Devereux Manor is, only two are blood relation, Jasmine’s children were adopted, but none of them use that specific word. In their eyes, we are all family, and that is all that matters. I’d tell you to mind your manners, but somehow, I don’t see that being an issue. Oh, and before you set foot inside, take your shoes off, or else mamma will have you scrubbing the wooden floor with a toothbrush,” she explained.
“Forgive me if I’m rude here, but your family reminds me of a rag-tag bunch of misfits whose intentions are misunderstood by most, and the place already feels like home to me”, he replied.
“Good, that’s what I thought you were going to say, and that is exactly who the elves are living inside. For your information, I don’t just come here to visit, but my sleeping quarters are on the fourth floor because this is my home, as well,” she revealed.
“Oh, nice palace, looks like a sultan stays there,” Sopher said.
“No, not a sultan, but the most powerful magix being on the planet lives here. I still think it is totally amazing that she’s my sister,” Gretchen said.
As they approached the mansion, the citizen could see someone riding on an Ordinary Dragon, it was a female wearing a floppy hat with jeans and a t-shirt, but the sun was in his eyes, distorting his vision. When she spoke, he recognized the voice, and an uncontrollable smile stretched itself across his cheeks.
“Gretchen, baby girl, did you get lost, again?” The one on the dragon asked.
“You know me, I cannot find the nose on the end of my face most of the time. That’s alright, because I met Sopher, and he showed me how to get back,” she said.
“Sopher Sullivan, is that you, young man?” The educator inquired.
“Yes, ma’am, it’s me,” he replied.
“My, oh, my, I haven’t seen you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper,” she replied.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Gretchen asked.
“I’ve met this young one a few times, because I am the highest-ranking magix being in my coven, and his mother is a member,” Jasmine said.
“My mom really admires you, Missus Devereux,” the citizen said.
“No need to be so formal, please, call me Jazzi, everyone does,” the educator said.
“Well, everyone who isn’t her child, anyway. I’ve invited him to stay for lunch as a show of gratitude for getting me home, and I was going to let Balli know so she can make a place for my guest,” the royal one said.
“Alright, that sounds great, and I like getting new guests for a meal, every once in a while. It’s good to see you, again, but you’ll have to excuse me, those hedges won’t trim themselves,” she said.
“Did I say or do something wrong? She seems upset,” the citizen said.
“No, it’s not you, mamma has issues with small spaces, and the idea of another setting at the table makes her tense. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m glad she was here, because knowing ahead of time that someone will be joining helps mamma prepare for there to be less room at the table. If she’s not prepared, panic automatically sets-in, and it is never a good thing for her to panic, because all control of her magix is lost.
“Oh, okay, I understand that, my little sister, Deidre, is the same way with small places, but when she’s on the trapeze, she’s more comfortable and confident than when her feet are on the ground. It’s like that for everyone in my family, but that’s what happens when you grow up walking the tightrope,” he said.
“You don’t worry about falling from way up there?” Gretchen asked.
“Not really, there’s a net under us,” Sopher said.
“Don’t forget to take your shoes off before you come in, no matter if you are standing on your hands or feet, they’re not coming through the door. Unless, you want to scrub the floor,” Gretchen warned.
“No problem, I don’t enjoy wearing them, anyway, because they cause blisters, and nothing is worse than trying to perform up there than having blisters on your feet”, he said.
“I’m scared of heights, and I get vertigo on a step-stool. I am not kidding, just ask anybody, and they’ll tell you. It’s pretty sad, really,” she said.
“I can help you get over that fear, if you want,” he offered.
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After lunch, Jasmine left the young elves to digest their meals in the main sitting room, and excused herself from hosting their visitation. There was still plenty of work remaining in the frontyard, and she wanted to get as much completed before the sunset; the educator did not worry about the citizen trying to get fresh with her daughter, since the little one practiced sparring partner routines with her siblings on a regular basis, and was capable of taking care of herself, if she felt it was necessary. She turned the radio on, but left the volume low enough they could talk; for her, having music in the background helped when there were lulls in the conversation, and it was what she used to aid in breaking-the-ice with new friends.
“You were saying earlier that you could help me with my fear of heights and excuse me for saying this, but that sounds nuts. I mean, Mamma Jazzi is a psychologist, and she couldn’t help me with it, so what makes you think you can?” Gretchen asked.
“Well, simply put, you need to be put in a situation which causes you to face it, and with the security of a net underneath you, it should be no problem,” he said.
“That doesn’t sound quite so nuts, not now that you say it like that, and for some reason, I feel that I could trust you enough to not let me fall. I know there would be a net, but that’s not the kind of falling I’m talking about,” the royal one said.
“If you were to fall, I’d be there to catch you,” Sopher said.
“That sounds great,” she said.
“I’ll talk to my mother, and see if she will allow me to give you some lessons on the trapeze. I think you’d be much more comfortable starting with that because there’s a handle you can hold onto, and it is a great confidence builder. Well, it was for myself, and the rest of my siblings,” he offered.
“Do you think your mother will let you do that?” She wanted to know.
“I don’t see any reason why she wouldn’t, all I’d have to do is tell her she would be doing your mom a favor, and my mother will be like putty in our hands”, he said.
“That would be really nice, to be able to participate in something aside from daily sparring routines, and mamma woukd be forever grateful,” Gretchen said.
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A couple of weeks later, the citizen arrived at Devereux Manor, he had good news, and was excited to share it, right away. Jasmine was working with the Ordinary Dragon, Greena, getting the initial preparations ready for the expansion of “Tranquility Springs, and the educator gave him permission to share the news with her daughter. On the way inside, he stopped before the backdoor, and removed his shoes; in his opinion, the day had been had been a great one, and there was no reason to go ruining it by forgetting that rule.
As the citizen stepped into the kitchen, there was an aroma of delicious-smelling food on the air, and his stomach began to growl. Looking at the tavble it was easy to see that his friend, and several other elves were sitting there. The first of them to notice his presence was Azleal, he gave the young male a quick once over, but did not make any advances forward in order to learn who their guest was. Being the curious kind of elf that he was, Sopher took a few steps forward, and caught the attention of the royal one he’d been wanting to speak with; she stood in front of her chair, and invited him to join them.
“First, I’d like to apologize for interrupting y’all, but if I could have a moment with Gretchen, I’d forever be grateful,” the citizen said
“Sure, meet me in the sitting room, and we can talk there. Nanna, I’ll be right back,” the royal one said.
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The first time she swung-out, Gretchen had her arms wrapped around her friend’s neck tighter than she realized, and the citizen began to turn different shades of purple. The next time, she found the courage to keep her eyes open, and Sopher encouraged her to try it alone. When she made an attempt by herself, the experience had been exhilirating and thrilling and freeing, and she’d been ready to run away with the circus. Nushala stopped by to offer them a snack, and had been impressed by the progress made.
“I see it didn’t take long to build her confidence, but let’s hope you haven’t created a monster,” his mother said.
“Oh, it’s too late for that, I’m just hoping to have released something smaller than a gila monster,” he replied.
“It almost looks natural on her,” she said.
“Please, mom, don’t encourage her,” Sopher warned.
“Why not? She might just be the breath of fresh air our show needs,” Nushala said.
“No, mother, that’s not the reason you’re impressed with Gretchen, and you know it. However, I’m aware of the things which pass through your busy mind, and I won’t have any part of it. She is not the one you have been searching for to fill your shoes whenever I take over, and you’ll not put any ideas in her head. Deidre is meant to run this place after you and father have passed on, and I won’t standby while you try to put someone else in her place. To be honest, at that point, you won’t be able to have any say in the situation, and I’ve decided to step away from that responsibility to let my sister have it. I did not come here for you to scout my girl friend,” he said.
“I didn’t know that’s how you feel,” she replied, dejected.
“Mother, I love you, but you really don’t have a clue as to what I want, and that makes me sad. You have been so wound-up in a fantasy world where I’m ring-master, that you failed to see the facts which have been staring you in the face for years,” Sopher said.
“To be honest, nothing could be further from the truth, and you’ll be mindful of what you say to me, I am still your mother. For your information, I’ve been more than aware of who rightfully deserves this place since Deidre first began to learn the trapeze,” Nushala informed him.
“Then what’s with all the pipe-dreams?” He asked.
"It's never easy for me to admit when I'm wrong, and I'd been holding out hope that something would change. However, I'm no fool, and I can see the writing on the wall. I've already discussed everything with your father, who happens to agree with me, and Deidre will inherit the circus when the time is right," Nushala admitted.
© P. L. Watson-Atwell