We saw the poster on our way home from school.
‘D’you reckon mum’ll let us go?’ Barry said.
‘Don’t see why not. After all it’s not every day the Circus comes to this neck of the woods.’ I replied.
‘The poster says “First time since 1975”. That’s yonks ago, an ice age. What d’you reckon the electrics bit is then?’ Barry always asked awkward questions.
‘Well my guess is that all their equipment is….’
Ginger Thomson, slewing his bike around in a shower of grit, rudely interrupted our conversation.
‘Bet that’s a load of crap. Circus ain’t nothing these days. No animals for one thing, no man-eating lions or tigers. What’s the good of a circus without animals?’
‘Shut up, Ginger. You don’t know nothing. Dickhead. It says electric, don’t it? You can’t have animals with electrics they’d get shocks. All their hairs would stand on end.’ I could see that Barry was getting mad, and as usual I had to step in and stop the argument before it developed into a fight.
‘Look Ginger,’ I said. ‘Why don’t you just push off, and mind your own business.’
‘All right, Damien, keep your cool. I was just trying to be matey, like. You reckon on goin’ to that circus then?’ Ginger was trying hard to be friendly but Barry always seemed to rub him up the wrong way. I suppose it was them both having ginger hair or something. How Barry got that colour is a bit of a mystery, my sister Gina and me have dark brown hair. S’pose families are just like that.
‘How much d’you think it’ll be to get in?’ Ginger went on. ‘I might be able to get some money from me mum if I could go with you two.’
‘Who said we wanted you to come with us, Ginger Thomson. You said just now it was all rubbish. You do change your tune.’ Barry didn’t sound best pleased. ‘Come on Damien, we best get home for tea. I’m starving, hope Mum’s left us something good to eat.’ I could see Barry was still a bit upset, besides our Mum was at work in Sainsbury’s’ and never got home till half five.
Then Ginger got really pathetic.
‘Here Barry, wanna ride me bike, you can have a go round the block.’ Barry seemed sorely tempted. He was really good at double wheelies and backspins. He was always down at the ‘ jumps’ with his friends and was usually ready to show off.
‘Not now Ginge. Why don’t you come down to the ‘ jumps’ tomorrow? I’ll show you a thing or two then. It’s too dangerous round here on the road.’
Barry casually threw out the invitation that Ginger had been waiting for ages.
‘Cool, Barry, thanks. What time d’you meet then? ‘ As if he didn’t know.
‘Any time you’re about. If you can drag yerself outta bed that is.’ Barry said. I must say the sarcastic remark was just lost on Ginger. It was time to get home anyway. I was starving too. Mum had left some frankfurters in the fridge for our tea.
My homework took ages that evening. I had to miss the Simpsons although Barry said he’d record it for me. Mum was watching Eastenders so I couldn’t ask her about the circus till dinnertime. For once we all sat down together. Only happens on Fridays, as Mum is working most of the time. Our dad isn’t around any more. He works in Manchester. Mum don’t like to talk about him.
‘Eastenders wasn’t much good tonight, too much argy-bargy. Don’t know why I bother. Wish Little Mo would sort ‘erself out.’ Mum looked and sounded rather tired, and who the heck was little Mo. I didn’t ask.
Wasn’t sure whether to mention the circus but Barry had banged on at me since we got home. I could still see that poster with all its electric lights and colours.
‘What d’you think we saw on the way home today, Mum?’ I asked between mouthfuls of fish and chips.
‘I dunno Damien, let’s see. That Alsatian puppy you’re always on about?’
‘No nothing real you might say. More like a dream.’ I teased. That’ll get her going. I like to stir Mum up a bit. She pretends to get a bit impatient with us but she doesn’t mind a bit of teasing.
‘Come on then. I give up. Bet it’s going to cost me though.’
Why did Mum always get things right? Barry couldn’t wait for me to ask slowly like. He just blurted out.
‘We saw this great poster of the ‘Lecteric Circus. It’s real cool. Coming here next week it is. Can we go, Mum? Can we go? I’ve got my birthday money and…’ Mum’s face changed. All her colour drained away.
‘Oh God. Is it really coming here, Damien?’ she asked in a strangled voice. ‘Yeah. You don’t look too happy about it. It’s only a circus Mum. Not even any animals.’ I was beginning to get real worried and tried to straighten things.
‘It’s nothing to do with animals.’ Mum almost shouted.
‘Well what’s wrong with the circus then? ‘ Barry said almost in tears. ‘You’re always dead against anything we wanna do.’ I gave Barry a swift kick under the table; I just had to shut him up. Mum just sat there looking down at her empty plate.
‘Let’s clear up and then I’d better explain what I’ve got against circuses.’ She tried to sound more cheerful but we could see she was really upset.
‘Right. You finish up your tea Mum. Barry and I will sort out the dishwasher.’ I glared at him and indicated with a shake of my head for him to get going.
‘You don’t really have to tell us anything, Mum,’ I said when we’d finished clearing up.
‘Well. Yeah,’ she sighed. ‘I suppose you and Barry could go but count me out.’ Me and Barry looked at each other, bet he was thinking the same as me. What was Mum on about? She hardly looked at us as she flopped down on the sofa. She didn’t even turn the telly on, just stared and stared. We thought we’d better make ourselves scarce and was just going up to play Tekken 3 on the Playstation.
‘It’s about your Auntie June,’ she suddenly blurted out. I pulled Barry back into the room. Tekken 3 could wait.
I’d always wondered about Auntie June. She has to get around in a wheelchair all the time. I’d never had the courage to ask Mum what had happened to her. Auntie June is Mum’s sister. She lives on the same estate as us, just round the corner. The council has converted her flat. I always thought that she was very clever living on her own an’ all. Managing to live without any legs, and that. Barry went over and sat down close to Mum, she put her arm round him. I just leaned up against the door. She took a deep breath as if she was getting all her courage together.
‘Well,’ she began, ‘June was just sixteen, then when this Circus came round here. She was brilliant at gymnastics and that. You know balancing on a beam and swinging on them parallel bars and climbing ropes and all.’ Mum stopped and looked right through me, as if she could see something. She went on.
‘To cut a long story short she upped and got a job in the circus. Our dad was so soft he couldn’t do anything, “If that’s what Junie wants, let her go,” he said. ’He couldn’t see any danger. Good job in a way he didn’t see what happened.’ She went on, ‘I was going out with your dad and couldn’t care about anything else. Only our mum worried, tried to stop her but it wasn’t no good, Junie was so stubborn.’ We waited for Mum to go on, the memory of it made her look very sad.
‘Junie just seemed to disappear out of our lives, seemed like years.
She told us lots of stories afterwards, how she’d travelled all over the place an’ all. Then we read about the accident in the Mirror.
Seems like the circus was having a bad time and they were trying out some new attractions. They had something called the Wall of Death. Motorbikes whizzed round this wooden wall like. Junie was doing some stunts. Half way through the act she got thrown off. Your dad and me tracked her down in some big hospital. But it was no good. She’d never get better. Took me all my time to get her to come home with us. She couldn’t get on with your dad though, ‘spect he was a bit jealous of all the time I spent with her. But she did go through it poor luv. We managed to get the council to fix up a special flat for her.’
Mum stopped speaking. D’you know I never knew that our clock had such a loud tick. I just stared at it. Then Mum went on,
‘If I let you go to the circus, promise me, whatever you do, don’t tell Auntie June.’
‘Don’t worry Mum, we’ll forget all about it.’ I managed to mumble.
‘Yer’ echoed Barry. ‘S’pect it’ll come on the telly.’
‘D’you want a game now. Level six coming up.’ I tried to cheer him up but he didn’t seem to want to play. Just then there was a rattle at the letterbox.
‘Who’s that at this time o’night?’ Mum said. ‘Bloody kids. I’ll give ‘em a thick ear if I catch the little buggers.’ She thumped down the passage to the front door. The letterbox rattled again. Those kids had a nerve, I thought.
‘What d’you think you stupid kids are playin’ …Mum stopped. We rushed to see who it was just in time to hear.
‘Junie, what are you doing here at this time of night? What’s up luv?’
‘Aren’t you going to let me in?’ Auntie June said. She wheeled herself into the kitchen.
‘I’m dying for a cuppa tea, got any left in the pot? You’ll never believe it Sis. Some of my old friends from the circus looked me up earlier. They’re here in town, on the Common all next week. Haven’t seen them for years. They took me out for a few drinks. Had a lovely time, got quite tipsy. Just had to come and tell you.’ Barry and I stood open mouthed. Mum made some fresh tea. Auntie June went on.
‘Here you boys, a present from the circus. Three ring-side seats for Saturday, take one of your mates.’
Dot Cook
Word count 1794
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