The Tiny Ringmaster (6 page)

They kept the townspeople in the tent for two days with little food and water. They were hoping that they would turn on each other, but our people were good and peaceful. They managed to persevere. They spent their days practicing and performing, and they shared their food and water as best as they could.

The men who took over the village were angered by their benevolent behavior, especially their leader Aluxdrov. Aluxdrov watched through the tent one night and became enraged that our people weren’t suffering. He was determined to make them as miserable as he and his men.

He stormed into the tent demanding to know who was in charge. The townspeople hesitated because, save for seven village Elders who gave medical advice and performed marriages, there was no ruler. Learning this, Aluxdrov called the Elders forward.

He insisted that they were now in charge of the group and, beginning the next morning, must move the group down the hill about a mile from town to set up quarters. They would no longer be allowed to live in their village. The people protested, but when Aluxdrov pulled out his sword and threatened the lives of the Elders, they knew it was best to remain quiet. The only thing they were given was their tent.

After the group moved, life was much harder and consisted of foraging for food and water, but they still managed to perform to keep their spirits up. Meanwhile, Aluxdrov and his men had taken over the little village and turned it into a steaming pile of mess. They were beginning to grow restless and wanted to continue on their journey. They were not happy that they had to work to eat when they had always stolen before, but Aluxdrov had grown tired of the vagrant life. He thought they should stay settled in the little town.

The townspeople, though they were frightened, knew they had been wrongly thrown out. They were not satisfied with being ousted so easily. They convinced the Elders to call a meeting with Aluxdrov to strike a deal, since they knew the men would eventually tire of a stationary life.

A week later, the Elders went to Aluxdrov. Aluxdrov toyed with the Elders, because he knew he wasn’t going to leave. After hours of their pleading, he had enough of their whining, and he came to his conclusion. If the townspeople could perform for the vagrants and entertain every single one of them, they could have their land back.

Aluxdrov knew this was a risky gamble. The men were restless and might vote to say they were entertained if they were ready to move on. He called in four of his men and made them swear, upon their own death, that they would vote against the townspeople.”

Tryfod paused and looked down at Ruth sitting in her tiny throne. The movie playing in the blue fog came to a pause. Ruth still couldn’t find the projector, and Tryfod didn’t have a remote in his hand. Tryfod didn’t seem to think anything was strange about the situation. “Ruth, child, do you have any questions so far? Do you need more water or hot chocolate?”

Ruth shook her head furiously. “No, Mister, I mean, Master Tryfod. I’m ready to hear the rest of the story.”

“Well, my dear, the story is very long, and I’m afraid it’s still not over – even to this day… Now, where was I?”

Ruth anxiously spoke up. “Aluxdrov’s four men – they were going to vote against the townspeople.”

Tryfod nodded his head. “Ahh yes, yes…

Well, dear Ruth, I’m sure you’ve realized that the townspeople were very encouraged by the news that the Elders returned. They slaved away night and day getting ready for their final performance. They were ready to return home.

The fateful day came, and, as the townspeople expected, the show went off without a hitch. They performed songs, dances, and talents that the vagrants had never seen. Some of the men could not believe their eyes. The performance ended with a round of thunderous applause.

The townspeople heard the response backstage and instantly broke into celebration. They had done it! They were going to go home! The Elders told them to quiet down and to follow them out onto the main stage. They would all watch the vote together.

Aluxdrov was not happy. He was still not convinced that his plan would work, nor had he expected the performance to be so successful. He knew that his four men would not vote for the townspeople, but he was afraid the vote might cause a rift. He would have to take extra care so that his men didn’t turn on one another.

The townspeople stood cheerfully on the main stage, awaiting the good news. Aluxdrov and the Elders stood at the foot of the stage. Aluxdrov called the vote, ‘All in favor of these performers getting their town back raise your hand.’  The vote trickled in, and, sure enough, all but four men voted for the townspeople to have their land back.

The townspeople were heartbroken. The Elders moved them off the stage quickly. They worried Aluxdrov would make an example of one of them if they dared public defiance. The townspeople begged the Elders to plead with Aluxdrov for another performance. They didn’t know that their fate had already been tampered with.

Aluxdrov was pleased with the outcome of the afternoon. He had no remorse and no desire to leave the town. He realized he might have a mutiny on his hands, so he marched boastfully backstage. ‘SILENCE!’ he yelled. The townspeople shook with anger and fear. He then told them that the next year, on the very same day, they could perform again. He wasn’t going to require them to stay at the base of the hill, but if they wanted their town back, they would have to be present and perform. He left with smug satisfaction.

After moving past the initial shock, the townspeople discussed their next plan of action. They needed a safe place to live. The Elders knew of a place a little further up the river where they could gather food more easily and get the supplies they needed. They all agreed to make the journey the next morning.”

Tryfod cleared his throat. The expression on his face was grave. Ruth wanted to ask a million questions, but she decided to stay quiet and let Tryfod finish. Tryfod took a long, deep breath and continued.

“Ruth, this ritual lasted for many, many years. The townspeople would come to town, perform for a night, and then be cast out back to their tents. They were never allowed to return to their homes.

The years passed, and Aluxdrov grew to be a very old man. The townspeople held out hope that if he died, they would be able to reclaim their land. However, by this point, the men had settled down in the village. They found wives, and they had children. Aluxdrov had a son, who took over in his father’s place. Generations later, his son took over, and then his son took over, and so on. The townspeople passed on their talents to their children, and their children learned new talents. New people became part of the Elders. Each year the performance would be bigger, better, and more elaborate, but the hoax continued. When the voting came, four men would vote against the townspeople.

Eventually, for the first time in generations, the townspeople became restless. They were tired of their ungrateful patrons. An Elder, Juscus, was aware of the discontent, and he decided to pitch defeat to the other Elders. The Elders existed to serve their people, and Juscus wanted to restore happiness and order.

Unfortunately, the idea angered the other Elders. Their insistence that they continue to live out their fate enraged the townspeople. It was a dark time filled with fighting and sadness.

Juscus, realizing his error, called a town hall meeting. He gathered everyone and all the Elders into the main tent – the same tent they took with them from the town. This time, he approached the townspeople with more care. He reminded them that though some of them had forgotten what they were working for, the Elders had not. Aluxdrov’s main goal had been to turn the townspeople against one another. It took him generations, but he was beginning to be successful. They couldn’t allow that to happen.

The Elders concluded that something needed to be done. They needed more guidance if they were ever going to break the terrible cycle. The Elders decided to set out to look for answers, but Juscus would stay behind to help the townspeople.

The next morning, the Elders minus Juscus set off on their journey for wisdom. They journeyed many miles and were gone for many months. No one knows exactly what happened on their trek. The townspeople did as they promised and took care of everything back home while continuing to practice.

 One night, the Elders returned in the middle of a great rain storm. They told Juscus to gather all the townspeople in the great tent. Juscus was frightened because they did not look well, but they insisted that they needed to speak to everyone right away. Juscus tried to gather everyone calmly, but excitement grew to anxiety. No one was quite sure what the Elders were going to say, and from the looks of them, it could have been terrible news. The room quieted to a murmur as the Elders recounted their findings.

They reported that they had been to other towns with people who were just looking for some kind of entertainment to help them escape their daily lives. The Elders suggested that the townspeople travel from town to town performing their show. After all, it was always better to practice with a live audience. They would surely improve, learn new tricks, and within a few years could be back in the town, ending the stand-off once and for all.

The townspeople whole-heartedly agreed. They excitedly packed up their things and started to wander, becoming nomads like the men who had forced them out of their homes. Instead of spreading hatred and fear, however, they spread happiness and laughter.

They didn’t travel very far that year, and it was a difficult journey. They weren’t used to traveling, but they prevailed. They returned to the town with the best show to date. Still, there were four votes cast against them, and they were more hopeless than ever. They had spent months perfecting their performance, and they were exhausted. They were ready to finally give up.”

Tryfod looked down at the small child with a slight grin on his face. “But then… then, my child… they learned of you.”