The Tiny Ringmaster

by Clark, Jennifer

  Ginger paused for a second, and Ruth almost regretted telling her. Ginger stopped walking and knelt down in front of Ruth. “Ms. Ruth, I know you're scared. But I'm going to promise you two things, and I need you to believe me. Ok?”

  “Ok?”

  “First, you will get to go home. You can't stay here; it's just not how things work. So I don't want you to be frightened about that.”

  Ruth nodded hesitantly.

  “Now for your other concern, you were chosen for this mission because you have special talents. You just found out about them, and you haven't seen them in action yet, so you're probably pretty skeptical. I don't blame you. You may not believe it or even be able to see how special you are, but you are. All you have to do is believe in yourself.” Ginger noticed the child’s eyes getting droopy. “Right now though, I need you to take a nap for me. You'll feel much better afterwards.” Ginger walked Ruth into her room, tucked her in the bed, turned off the lights, and shut the door.

  Ruth expected to wake up in her bed at home. When she awoke, she was still in a faraway land, with far away people, with plenty of work left to do. She was feeling better though. Ginger had been right about that. She heard some rustling outside her door, so she got up to see what was going on. Everyone else was awake from their naps and heading down the hall. Ruth followed. Maybe they were all heading back to practice.

  No one noticed little Ruth in the crowd, and she tried her hardest not to get run over. By the third apology, Ruth realized that everyone was in pajamas. She found this odd; she was still in her clothes. Then again, everything about this place was odd to her. They didn't take the hallway that led to the practice tent, so Ruth just followed quietly. As Ruth rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, she gasped.

  A sun room stretched with table after table of little sandwiches and small tea cups. Everyone sat and sipped in their pajamas while Lucin and the other waiters poured the tea. Each table had a stack of small sandwiches, crumpets, muffins, and other bright pastries. It reminded Ruth of tea time with her dolls.

  Ruth sat down at a table by herself. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by lots of people wanting to enjoy their tea with her. They were all very polite and sweet, but it felt a little weird to be an instant celebrity. Ruth wasn't exactly in the mood, so she zoned out while everyone chatted excitedly. She was pushing around a piece of cake on her plate with her tiny fork when she heard a commotion on the other side of her table. She stretched her neck to catch a peek. She beamed when she noticed Pepé squeezing through the crowd. “Pepé!!! Over here!!”

  Pepé made a beeline for her. He scooted and squished through the crowd, knocking and pushing people over. “Oh prinzess! Oh BEEEUUUTIFULL prinzess! Pepé iz herez now! Can Pepé zit withz you? Oh! It would makez Pepé zo vary happy!”

  Ruth nodded quickly. Pepé pulled out a chair next to her. “Oh BEEUUUTIFUL Ruth! Pepé iz zo vary happy to zit nextz to you!”

  Ruth noticed the table had cleared out. She wondered if anyone liked Pepé as much as she did. “Pepé, can I tell you a secret that you won’t ever tell anyone else?” Pepé gasped. “My! Of courz youz can! Pepé ztay zo vary quiet for ze lovaly Ruth!”

  Ruth was encouraged. “I'm not very popular back home. In fact, I'm rather normal. No, actually, I'm weird. I don't have many friends at school. The friends I do have are kind of, well, outcasts, and we've been practicing for a talent show, and… we aren't very good. We struggle a lot, and my lead singer can't even remember all the words. We won't be able to beat the popular girls because they are prettier and more talented than us.”

  Pepé sat quiet for a minute and became more serious than he ever had before. “Well, I zhink it'z because youz haven't performed in frontz of lotz of peeple. Why do youz zhink Tryfod had youz playing alongz with Ereetol? Zo you don't zhink about ze performeeng. You juz didz it. That'z ze key to greatz performanze, beutiful Ruth. You must knowing your routine zo well that itz becomez juz zhat, a routinez. Juz like evary practize zession beforez. No diffarent than yestarday'z. That'z why we have a drezz reharzal evary dayz. Ze big performanzes are no diffarent zhan ze teeenny onez. You should practize az hard az youz parform. A ‘cauze when you do, well that'z when it becomez majic.” Pepé’s eyes sparkled brighter than the lights in the room, and Ruth felt confident in her task for the first time.

  After tea, they all returned to the practice tent, and this time Ruth took Pepé's advice. She simply followed Eritol and worked as hard as she could. She twirled her arms, moved around, sang, and danced - all without realizing how many eyes were on her. She gave her all. Before she knew it, it was time to quit. Tryfod called her over to him. “Ok, Ruth. You ready for the ceremony?”

  Ruth stared at him. “Ceremony?”

  “Yes, everyone wants a chance to ask you some questions. They are very curious.”

  Ruth nodded hesitantly. Although she felt better after her talk with Pepé, she was still a little mad at Tryfod. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Tryfod was hiding something.

  Tryfod looked pleased. “Good! Great! Ok, you can go back to your room and freshen up. Eritol will come to get you when we are all ready.”

  Ruth decided to make a request. “Tryfod, can I ask one favor?”

  “Well yes, my child.”

  “Can Pepé be in the front?”

  Tryfod was clearly confused by the request. “Of… Of course. We want you to be comfortable.”

  Ruth smiled. She was getting the hang of her new status.

  Ruth skipped all the way back to her room. She walked in and went to the closet to pick out her outfit. She noticed a telephone on a desk in the corner. It looked like a regular phone, but the buttons had people's names instead of numbers. She had buttons for Tryfod, Pepé, Ginger, and Eritol. She looked in the mirror and wondered if Pepé could do her hair. She picked up the phone and hit the button. It rang twice. “Hallo?? Thiz iz Pepé??”

  “Uh... hi Pepé... this is Ruth...”

  “ZE BEEEUUTIFUL RUTH!!! How canz Pepé help youz?”

  “Well, this ceremony tonight… well… I just wasn’t sure what to wear…”

  “Zay no more! Pepé will be therez zhortly to help youz with ze hair and ze make-up! Oh you iz going to look zo majical!” He swiftly hung up the phone. Before Ruth had time to hang up her end of the line, Pepé was knocking at the door.

  “Ruth!! Beeuuutiful Ruth!! Pepé iz here!”

  Ruth opened the door, and Pepé fell to his knees. “Mua. Mua. MuaMuaMua. I kizz your handz.”

  “Pepé, you really don't have to do that. I'm not royalty.”

  “Oh but Mizz Ruth you are! But that'z ok! Lez get ztarted!”

  Ruth sat down in her chair, and Pepé started his whirl-wind around her. Just like the last time, Pepé was done before he even began. “There! Finé! Ok, Pepé haz to go. He haz to get preety himzelf!” He ran out the door before Ruth could say thank you.

  Ruth went back to the closet and searched around. She searched rack after rack, and she squealed with glee when she finally found something to wear. She then sat patiently on her bed waiting for Eritol to come get her.

  Finally, she heard a knock on her door. She jumped off her bed and went to answer it. Ginger was standing at her door in a very pretty dress. For a second, Ruth reconsidered her outfit. She could tell Ginger was also a little confused. “Are you ready Ruth?” Ruth nodded.

  Ginger quickly wiped the wonder from her face. “Ok! Off we go then!”

  The noise from the Banquet Room grew as they approached. Ginger turned around and looked down at her. “Ok Ruth, you have to stay here. I'm going to go inside and tell everyone that we're ready. When it's your turn to come out, they're going to open the big doors towards you. You'll walk on stage where Tryfod is standing. Ok?”

  Ruth nodded. It seemed easy enough. Ginger looked down at her with concern, but Ruth wasn’t deterred. “I'm fine Ginger! Go. I'm sure they are waiting on us.” She gave Ginger the biggest smile she could muster. To Ruth's surprise, Ginge
r bent down, and gave her a huge hug and a kiss. “Knock 'em out!”

  Ruth beamed. “I will.”

  Ginger gave her another thumbs up and disappeared behind the double doors. Suddenly, Ruth felt very homesick. She felt like it had been forever since she hugged her mom. She wished that her mom and dad could see her tonight at her big debut. They would be so happy for her.

  The Banquet Room on the other side of the doors got very quiet, and Ruth could hear one person talking. It sounded a little like Tryfod, but she couldn't be sure. The doors began to slowly open towards her. She looked in and saw that everyone was sitting in front of a large stage. All eyes were on her. She must have stood still for a few minutes because when she finally made eye contact with Tryfod he nodded to encourage her to step forward. She snapped out of it and walked quietly up the stage to the microphone. No one said a word.

  Once she got up to the microphone, she cleared her throat. The microphone squeaked, and everyone leaned back in mild disgust. She wasn't sure what she should say. Then, she looked down at Pepé who waved at her, and a surge of her courage came back. Ruth waved to the crowd. Tryfod nodded and spoke. “We can get started. Who wants to ask the first question?”

  A woman about seventy-years-old hobbled up a microphone placed in the front of the stage. She was dressed prettily. “Ms. Ruth, I'm Linda. I'm one of the sewers here. I help make the costumes. I was just wondering... well the dress makers were just wondering... actually I think we all were just wondering... what is it that you are wearing?” Ruth looked down at her clothes and giggled. She had almost forgotten.

  “Well Ms. Linda…. Umm… you see… well – a black skirt, a white shirt, and a black hoodie. And these are my new favorite tights... white with black stars. Oh! And black sneakers.” Ruth beamed. These questions were going to be easy.

  Linda was confused. “Sneakers?”

  “My shoes.”

  Everyone looked perplexed, but Ruth wasn't discouraged. “Ok, next question.”

  A mass of people tried to crowd into the microphone line. A man was up next. “Uh yes, Ms. Ruth, could you tell us about your hobbies?”

  “I play the drums.”

  “Oh. The drums.” The man walked back to his seat.

  A little boy followed him. “Where do you perform at home?”

  “Well, actually, I haven't performed anywhere yet. I'm waiting to perform in my first school talent show.”

  The little boy was shocked. “You mean you haven't performed in a circus?”

  Ruth shook her head. “No. I've never performed in a circus.”

  There was uproar in the crowd. Everyone was talking and yelling things at each other. Tryfod stood up and motioned for them to all take a seat. A man from the back of the room shouted at Tryfod. “You told us that she was talented! She hasn't ever performed before!”

  Ruth tried not to get upset. She couldn't figure out why they were so mad. She was pretty sure that the prophecy said that she was a kid from Earth. They were all so excited about her visit before. What happened?

  Tryfod motioned again for quiet. The crowd continued. Ruth could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she was determined not to cry. They didn't know what they were talking about. Ruth knew if they gave Tryfod a chance, he would tell them everything they needed to know. Tryfod rose from his seat. Someone yelled again from the back. “We even heard a rumor that she’s unpopular at school! Her band doesn’t even like her!”

  Ruth’s tears escaped from her eyes. She looked down at Pepé, who looked horrified. She thought could trust him. She should have known that she couldn’t trust anyone around here. They only liked her because she could help them. She tried to wipe the tears now streaming steadily from her eyes. Tryfod became angry with the crowd. “SILENCE EVERYONE!!”

  The room stopped dead. No one even moved a muscle. Tryfod's voice boomed from the sides of the walls. There was a mixture of fear, anxiety, and anger lingering in the room. “Will everyone have a seat?!” Tryfod's voice boomed again, and everyone scurried to their seat. “I need you all to understand a few things. First, Ruth is here because she wants to help. Not because we have forced her in any way. If anyone of you does something to jeopardize that, she could go home. Second, I know you all are familiar with the prophecy! You knew she'd be a child! Do you think all children have years of performance under their belts? Do you think she would have been born to a circus family?”

  A man stood up in the back of the room. “I think we might be better off if we go it alone.” The words hit Ruth like a bullet. She couldn’t stand on stage anymore. She took off running through the double doors, down the hallways, around corners, and out into the forest. She ran past the rock and out towards the waterfalls. It didn’t even matter that it was moments from nightfall, and the already cold temperatures were dropping quickly.

  Ruth didn’t stop until she reached the waterfalls. She stumbled on a log to catch her breath. White hot tears stained her face. She gasped for breath in between sobs. Everything was ruined now. Her friends here were no different than her friends at home. She was a failure to everyone. Her eyes began to adjust to the growing darkness. She decided that she would just spend the night by the waterfalls. She should be safe enough here. Tryfod was crazy and self-interested. He obviously didn’t know what he was talking about.

  She startled as she heard a rustling. A familiar giggle carried across the little pond. Ruth wiped her eyes. She stood up and noticed the little girl in the tunnel. The girl signaled for Ruth to follow her. Ruth checked around for any signs of Tryfod or Eritol. She thought she might be safer if she followed the little girl. After all, two is more powerful than one. Even though Ruth felt a little uneasy, she carefully crossed the pond on the stepping stones as the last of the sun’s rays disappeared from the sky.

  The tunnel was pitch dark. “Hello? Hello??” Ruth heard the giggles again a little further into the tunnel. She stretched out her arms to feel her way through. She realized the opening was only big enough for a child – or an animal. She shuddered.

  “Hello?? Heeelllllloooo? Where are we going?”

  Ruth heard the laughter again. She was starting to panic. Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea. Tryfod said that it was very dangerous. She took a few more steps and was relieved to see twinkling lights at the end of the tunnel. She picked up her pace.

  Ruth had to bend down to crawl out of the tunnel into the open. She stood up and brushed herself off. Her hoodie was covered in dirt. She sneezed and quickly covered her mouth. She crouched behind some rocks hoping to spot the little girl. She sneezed again as the stench from the alley hit her.

  She was still having a hard time seeing in the dark, but she realized that the tunnel had ended in a small village. The street was lined with small lamps, but half of them were burnt out. The roads were very muddy, and the sidewalks were covered in garbage. The walls of the store fronts hadn’t been washed in a very long time. Ruth wrinkled her nose and turned back around to the tiny hole. She should go back now. This place was gross.

  Again, she heard the giggling over her left shoulder. She noticed a building with all the lights on and the windows open. She could hear people talking. She looked at the tiny hole again. She thought to herself, “Just see what this place is. Then you can go back. Maybe you won’t have to sleep outside if you find the little girl.”

  She tried to stay hidden as she scurried across the street and crouched under the window. She turned her head so that her right ear was just beneath the window sill. She could hear men’s voices.

  “Well the anniversary is coming up.”

  “It is. In a week!”

  “It’s supposed to be the big one!”

  They all laughed heartily.

  “Now don’t you know, they think they are going to win this year.”

  “I don’t know why anyone would want this dump back.”

  “Well they can have it. I’m ready for somewhere cleaner. This place is filthy.”

  Ruth’s eyes widened as
she realized where she was. Her heart began to beat faster, and she covered her mouth so that she wouldn’t make a sound.

  “There’s a little girl now.”

  “She’s supposed to make all the difference.”

  They all laughed again.

  “Joe, what’s gotten into you?”

  “If I tell you something, will you swear not to say a thing?”

  The men all muttered their agreement.

  “Druskov is acting crazy. He heard about the prophecy. He’s been reading some books in the library. He thinks the girl is dangerous.”

  The men laughed again.

  “She’s a tiny thing! What could she possibly do?!”

  “I… I dunno. She’s from Earth, you know.”

  The men gasped in disbelief. They all became quieter, and the tone of the conversation changed.

  “Those people from Earth can be dangerous. What’s Druskov going to do?”

  “Well… this… this is the part that you can’t repeat…”

  Ruth held her breath. She could feel the sweat dripping down her forehead. The men encouraged him to continue.

  “She travels back and forth from Earth. Next time she does it, Druskov’s going to snatch her.”

  “And do what with her?”

  “I think… well it’s just a rumor… but…”

  “Is he going to kill her?”

  Ruth leaped up with fright and hit her head on the window sill. She froze.

  “What was that? I swear I heard something knocking around outside.”

  Ruth heard the chairs scrape across the floor, and she darted towards the tunnel. She scraped her knee climbing down through the opening. She didn’t stop running until she was on the other side of the tunnel. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She then leaped across the pond, scooted around the log, and darted back across the forest. She tripped a few times in the dark, but she picked herself up. She wasn’t stopping until she was back safely inside the tent.