Tigers, trampolines, and the three rings

(This is what I have so far.)

Everyone loves the circus, right? The excitement, the suspense, the sheer magic of a circus. Well, what if I told you that my circus had real magic, real danger, real suspense? You wouldn’t believe me. You’d simply think that I was trying to convince you to buy tickets to my show. A circus is a circus, right? WRONG! Shut up and let me explain myself before you assume that you know.

First, my name is Eilonwy Edna Poe. People refer to me as Eilo or sometimes E.E.P. Anyway, I work with tigers in my circus, obviously. There are no sissy lions, just the beautiful, powerful, majestic tigers. Okay, so you caught me. I don’t OWN the circus. My uncle does, but I do really work with the tigers. I don’t think a seventeen year old could run a circus very well. Anyway, I live with my uncle, traveling with him and his circus.

Apparently, I kind of look like a cat. Or tiger, maybe. I’ve got long red hair that has a natural wave to it. People like to compliment my green eyes, though I feel a little cliché looking. I’ve been told I’ve got cat eyes, which I take as a compliment, as I should. My complexion can only be described as fair, fairly flawless, if I can say that without seeming conceited. I get it from my mother, though my facial structure is more like my father’s. A roundish face, great cheekbones, and a fairly prominent dimple in my chin.

Yes. I have a butt-chin and I’m proud of it. My hair is his color, though the last picture I saw of him, he had no hair, so..I take my uncle’s word for it. I got my lankiness from him as well. I look more like him than anyone. Maybe that’s why people think of a cat when they see me, long and graceful. Okay, okay. I’m making myself laugh. I don’t see what everyone else sees. I see an awkward too-tall girl that is nothing special. I just write what I’m told.

Anyway, my uncle is my legal guardian. My parents died in a car accident when I was fourteen and he was really the only family I had. An L.G., as I’ve affectionately come to call it, is nothing like a parent. They just have to make sure you don’t starve to death and have a semi-decent place to sleep. They don’t have to like you and they certainly don’t have to love you.

Really, they just have to put up with you. That’s not to say that all L.G.s are like that, just the one I have. Though, I guess, I am pretty lucky to have an L.G. that owns a circus and lets me participate. What teenager can ask for more? Anyhow, this story isn’t about him. It’s about my circus. Yes, I meant my circus that time. Oh, it’s about my best friends too. My circus is one of the most amazing things ever. At least ten times better than anything you can imagine. As I sit and write, I still can’t believe it. I guess good things can happen to anyone. I should explain everything, starting at the very beginning.

The first day I met the tigers, I wasn’t part of the circus. I was too busy adjusting to my new life. One of the perks of having an uncle that didn’t care was I didn’t have to do anymore school after I turned sixteen. I mean, I still kept my brain sharp by giving myself math problems, brain puzzles. I’m not stupid in any manner.

Anyway, I didn’t have to worry about school, so I would watch the circus, stay in my little pony trailer bedroom and clean up, longing for a job in the three rings. My uncle always told me that when he brought in a new act, he’d seriously consider me for the part. Since he’s said that, we got acrobats, flaming hoop jumpers, motocross dudes in the cage..man, I wanted to be the girl in the middle, feel the rush, never knowing what was going to happen, when something might go wrong.

See, I’m a little morbid. Things going wrong is my cup of tea. Well, kind of. Anyway! He always told me that it was too dangerous. That was a lie. He knew that I was fully capable. He just didn’t want me to ruin his circus. Anyway! Back to the day, I was sitting on my bed in my trailer, eagerly awaiting the mail. I traced the trippy designs on my bedspread, humming to myself when I heard a soft tap on my door. “BO! Finally! Come in.”

I pushed myself up, not caring that I was in my pink Carebear jammies, which just happened to be the footy kind. I blew my hair out of my face, grinning widely at the young man that slowly opened the door, ducking as he came in. Bo, who was barely nineteen, was dressed as a mime, white grease paint on his heart shaped face, as he almost always wore it. It was smeared, black lipstick smudged as well.

“Eilo, you’ll never guess what we got today.” He sat on my bed, still grinning. He was barefoot, oddly. His black pants had a hole near the bottom, though I’m not sure where it came from. He wore the cliché mime shirt, black and white stripes, long sleeved. He had a black beret on his head, resting on his spiky brown hair. “Well, you retard! Tell me what we got!” He held up his gloved hands, taking a deep breath, rather dramatically. “We..got…” He paused, watching my reaction. I creamed him with my pillow, right across the kisser.

I didn’t care that I got his makeup all over it. “TELL ME!” “Tigers.” I gasped, staring at him. I can imagine that my eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He laughed a little. “You..you’re lying. We don’t have tigers…” “You want to bet? Jeffy helped build their pen.” Jeffy was the strong man, black handlebar mustache, bald and buff. “REALLY?!” I squealed happily, launching myself at him. I attacked him with a violent hug, throwing him off the bed.

Bad thing about that, I toppled off as well. He was winded, beret on his face. “Eilo…you can’t do that to me..” “Hey, I’m lighter than you.” “Yeah, but still..that hurt..” I giggled as I climbed off and back onto my bed. “Can I see them?” Bo shrugged, lying on the ground. His voice was muffled by the ridiculous French hat, but he made no move to adjust it. “Jeffy warned me against visiting them, everyone else, too.” “Well…how many did we get?” “Three. Well, two, if you don’t count the mother.”

“THREE TIGERS! Two cubs?!” He nodded, sticking his legs in the air as he rocked into a sitting position. “Yeah. Your uncle has big plans for them, apparently.” I knew what I had to do. I jumped off the bed, shooting up. I was just barely short enough to avoid the ceiling. “This is my calling, Bo-Bo. I mean it..my uncle’s been telling me he’ll give me a job and this one I have to get.”

Bo frowned, carefully standing up. I couldn’t help but notice how silly he looked, his head cocked so he didn’t kill himself on the ceiling. “See…your uncle already has..plans..” I felt my heart sink all the way down to my feet. “But..but..they’re tigers..” “I know, but I think you’ll like who he got. She’s spunky. She even looks like a tiger, kind of.” I didn’t feel like I’d like her. I started getting angry, glaring at Bo.

“Yeah?” I barely kept the volume of my voice under control. He nodded. “Yeah. She’s great with animals, too. She was practically born to be in the circus. Not to mention, she’s cute.” He grinned. “She is kind of young, though.” I felt my hands shake as my face started to ache. I was stifling my rage.

This was the last time my uncle was going to break his promise. I didn’t bother to respond to Bo, which didn’t bother him. He wasn’t done singing the girl’s praises. “She does have a bad temper though. Heck, she could be you.” I opened my mouth to growl something at him, something I would never normally say to Bo..then I realized something. He was looking at me with a smug grin.

“You…you..YOU SUCK, BO!” I was beside myself. He was talking about me! “I got it?! Really?!” He nodded. “Yes you did, miss Eilonwy. I just had to have a little fun. Then I realized that I was really making you angry.” I giggled from the relief, hot tears welling up in my eyes. “Dang it, Boseph! You got me good. Makin’ me cry. I’m so excited!”

He snickered. “Boseph? That’s a new one.” I wiped at my eyes. “I can’t think when I’m mad. You know that.” “I know.” He stepped over and wrapped his lanky arms around me. “Wanna go and see your new partners?” “Hecks yeah.” Bo gently tugged on a strand of my hair before pushing open the trailer door and stepping outside. He glanced back at me. “Don’t get scared, okay? Jeffy’ll be there to protect us.” I smiled. Bo was adorable. He was no knight in shining armor, obviously, but he was sweet. I hopped out of the trailer, slamming the door shut.

“Let’s go, we’re burning daylight!” “You goober, it’s, like, ten feet away.” I glanced around. “You liar. There isn’t anything within ten feet.” He patted my head as he rolled his eyes. It was then that I realized he was only a foot taller than myself and had the deepest blue eyes. “I was exaggerating. It’s not far.” I cleared my throat, quickly looking away from him before he noticed. “Well, I’m waiting. Take me there, slave!”

Bo fought a grin, nodding his head. “This way, Mistress Eilo.” He turned on his heel and, catching me by surprise, darted off in the other direction. “Hey!” I laughed, running after him. I was careful not to trip on any tent stakes as my feet flew. It all became a blur as I sped up, easily catching up to Bo. He was holding onto his hat as he ran, panting. He wasn’t used to running, so, I hate to say it, he was just a tad out of shape. But that’s off topic.

“I gave you a headstart and I’m going to beat you there!” “Shut up. You don’t even know where it is.” “…Touche.” I could see that he was slightly annoyed, but he didn’t stop running. Until I stopped paying attention. I could hear his black dress shoes skid on the dirt and the rock as he tried to stop, but he fell, face first. I stopped and just stared at him, wondering if I should laugh or if I should help him.

It seemed like he was laying with his face in the dirt for a good three minutes before he got up. “Ow. S’all good. Don’t worry about it.” I beamed sweetly at him. “I’m sorry, Bo-Bo.” “…Please don’t start that again.” He rubbed his forehead, his dimpled chin scraped from the fall. He pointed to a pen ten feet away. I couldn’t believe it. It was a portable chainlink octagon cage. It was pretty big and right smack in the middle, sat MY tigers.

They were beautiful! I slowly approached them, spitting out dust that flew into my mouth, but I didn’t really care about that. I kept my eyes on the tigers. I could hear Bo’s footsteps behind me, I could hear the smile in his voice. “See, I knew you’d like ‘em.” I didn’t respond, stopping once I reached the gate. I placed my hand on the chainlink, noting the fact that it was cool, oddly. I held my breath as the mother lifted her head.

She stared right at me! We locked eyes and it felt like forever had passed. It felt like she knew everything about me and my very thoughts. Then the most amazing thing happened. She growled, but it wasn’t an aggressive growl. She stood and walked around her sleeping cubs, sniffing them before she hesitantly came to me. “Bo…Bo…BO!” “I know. Don’t panic.”

Bo’s voice was reassuring and I simply smiled. “I wouldn’t panic.” I stuck my fingers through the cage and watched as she, in all her glory, sniffed my fingers and then rubbed her head against them! I almost passed out from the excitement! She was so beautiful! I didn’t move, just shocked and amazed. She growled again and then turned her back on me, going back to her cubs.

“Bo..can Jeffy let me in? I think…I think she likes me enough to let me be there.” “Are you sure you want to do that? It could be very dangerous, Eilo. You got lucky.” “Bo. Please. I have a strong feeling about this.” I looked over my shoulder at him, both my hands resting on the chainlink. “Please.” I could sense his conflicted feelings. He wanted to make me happy, but he also wanted to make sure I was safe. “Eilonwy..”

“Get Jeffy.” I looked back at the tigers, listening as Bo sighed and shuffled away. I kept my eyes on Mama, who was watching me again. “I’m going to come in, alright? Then I’m gonna wait for you to make the next move. Either you’ll kill me, or I’ll be one lucky son of a gun.” “Are..are you expecting her to respond?”

From behind me, I could hear the deep, slow voice of Jeffy. I didn’t look at him, shrugging. “In this world, who knows?” Jeffy sounded sad. “Bo says you want to go in.” He was a slow speaker and he had a very soft voice, which surprised everyone that met him. He was a giant teddy bear and cared about everyone. “I do, Jeffy. Let me in, please.” “But Miss Eilo.. you could get eated.”

I smiled a little. He wasn’t dumb, he just wasn’t the most intellectual speaker. “If I get eated, I’ll die knowing it was my fault. If I don’t, I’ll be one step closer.” “To dying?” “No, to training them completely.” “Oh.” His feet made heavy thuds on the dirt as he went to the door, which happened to be padlocked..twice. “If you’re sure..” He pulled a keyring from his pocket, only two keys on it. I watched him from the corner of my eye, unlocking the door. The door creaked as he carefully opened it, watching the tigers nervously.

“Thank you, Jeffy.” I didn’t realize that Bo was standing next to Jeffy, turning blue from holding his breath. I inched my way to the door, my hands never leaving the cage until I stepped inside. “Shut the door, Jeffy. Lock it up.” “But Eilo!” Bo sounded outraged, mostly from gasping to refill his lungs. I shrugged. “I know what I’m doing.” I refused to look at them, listening for the click of the padlocks.

Once I was sure they were locked, I turned my back on the tigers, smiling at Bo and Jeffy. “See? Not dead yet.” I could feel three pairs of eyes on my back and I took a deep breath, facing the tigers. I sat on the ground, kind of amazed at how close I was to them. I could reach out and brush all three, though I didn’t dare. “Thank you for letting me in.” The mother seemed to nod, yawning.

The two cubs were wide awake, which I couldn’t help but think was a little odd, since they were sleeping a few minutes ago. They had matching orange and black coats with little bits of white, looking exactly like their mother. Two little tails slowly flicked in the air as four little yellow eyes peered at me. The mother had grown bored of me, curling up to sleep. I could just picture the looks of shock on Bo and Jeffy’s face.

“Hi, little guys. I’m gonna be teaching you how to do some tricks, okay?” I felt completely comfortable, at peace. I reached my hand out and gasped as one of the cubs pounced at me. “EILO!” Bo and Jeffy were both shrieking my name, sounding quite ridiculous. I think I may have even screamed..until I realized that the cub knocked me onto my back and just curled up on my stomach.

“Hey, guys! I’m okay!” The other cub sauntered over to me and I swear, I thought I saw a smirk on her face. She licked my face as her brother purred contently. “This..isn’t normal, is it?” Bo’s eyes were wide as Jeffy clutched his chest. “No, Eilo. No, it isn’t. How is she still sleeping?!” The mother hadn’t even flinched. That’s when I knew that I was going to love working with the tigers.

“You…your name is going to be..Camden.” I don’t know where that name came from for the purring cub, but it seemed to fit. I looked at his sister. “Shanti? I like that.” Without even looking at their mother, I knew her name. “Jezi. I can see that.” I exhaled deeply, smiling at Camden as he rose and fell with the deep breath. “This is going to be fun.”


Chapter Two
Five minutes later, I still couldn’t believe it. I could feel Bo and Jeffy watching me, but I didn’t care. I was mesmerized by Camden, Shanti, and Jezi. They were all so beautiful and so…human.

I couldn’t explain it. I gently stroked Camden’s fur, absolutely in love. I don’t remember my thoughts, until I heard a loud, bellowing voice that caused Camden to leap off my chest, Shanti to cry, and Jezi to growl. “What are you doing, letting her into the cages like that? Is she dead? They’re eating her. This is going to be terrible for business.” I rolled my eyes.

Typical L.G. He never understood me. The voice belonged to my uncle, Phineas T. Poe. I strongly disliked that man, not only for his lack of concern for me, but for pretty much everything. “Tigress! Get out of the cage before you really are eaten!” I grumbled as I climbed to my feet, staring at my dreadful uncle. He was a short, fat man, small ankles and tiny feet while his middle looked as if he was pregnant with an elephant.

His face was round, angry, and red, as usual. His lips were two thick slabs of flab that often were coated with his vile spit. Sometimes I think he’s really just a giant, fat, roly-poly with acid saliva. Whatever was left of his thin, black hair was soaked in sweat, plastered to his shiny scalp. “Are you deaf, girl?” I was used to him speaking to me this way and, to be honest, I was deaf…when it came to him.

I continued to ignore him, just standing in the cage. He glared at me, his beady little eyes hidden by his large, chipmunk cheeks. “Girl, you need to learn some respect, eh? I give you your bloody tigers, give you an act, give you a stage name and you refuse to obey even the tiniest command? Just like your idiotic father.” I felt anger begin to rise inside, like poison bubbles from my belly, shooting toward my mouth.

I knew that if I wasn’t careful, a horrid vomit of insults would spew all over. I sulked to the door, lowering my eyes so I didn’t have to look at his gawdy ring-master’s costume. He never took it off. He swung open the cage door and pointed in the direction of my trailer. “Go to your room until you can thank me properly.” I hissed under my breath, angrily stomping in the dirt on my way to my trailer. Bo followed me.

“You know, Eilo, he doesn’t mean what he says. He’s just…well..” Bo frowned, thinking of a nice way to describe my uncle. “Well, he’s just like Santa! Only…he hates children, he curses more than him, he’s fatter…and he’s selfish.” I know Bo was trying to make me smile, but it wasn’t going to work. Once we reached my trailer, I took hold of the dirty, silver handle and pulled as quickly as I could, just barely dodging the door as it flew open. “Bo, stop trying. I can’t…I can’t accept him insulting my father like that.”

I knew my uncle didn’t really mean it. I mean, my father was his brother, though you could never, ever tell by looking at them. You have to love your siblings…right? Whether he meant it or not wasn’t the issue. I wasn’t going to listen to excuses made for the man that lived to make me miserable. I stormed inside, Bo right on my heels. I dived onto my bed, burying my face in the pillow.

I could feel the bed shift as Bo sat on it. He sighed heavily. I knew what he was going to say. “I know he hurt you, and I’m so sorry. It’s his nature, not that it makes what he said right. You can’t let him ruin your day. You got the greatest gift ever. You have your very own act with your very own tigers. It’s time to make your own magic. You can’t let him get in the way of that.” I could hear the smile on his voice as he rubbed my back.

I fought a shiver, forcing my face to remain in the pillow, though it was getting uncomfortably hot. “You have plans to make. He’s just jealous because he knows that one day, you’ll run the circus and make it a million times better than he has it now. That’s all. Just a jealous old man.” I turned my head to avoid looking at Bo. “The jealous Anti-Santa man?” I waited. IT was silent for a moment, then I could hear Bo snickering. “Indeed.” I felt the bed move again as he stood. “I have to go help Jeffy get some things ready. Try to get a little sleep, that way you can play with the tigers tonight.”