Careless of what I Wished For

What if one of those things you wished for, but you didn't REALLY mean, actually came true? My submitted but rejected contest entry.

 It was on a bright, starry night that the traveling circus rolled into town. At first, I scoffed at the circus’s sights and sounds. I mean the huge awful spectacle of it all, but after the circus rolled out, the nights never again seemed so starry and bright. Here, let me tell you what happened.

I turned fifteen that year. Some could call me an impressionable child, although I exhibited the arrogance of a teenager and felt my potency as an adult. I had important things going right then such as building a reputation and amassing friends. My focus was me, me, and me, and this circus disrupted my self-centered schemes. I never suspected. You might presume my parents were out of the picture that allowed my attitude to flourish. Well, they were always around, and I wished they would just butt out or leave me alone.

My parents tried their damnedest to guide and nurture, but to me, they were just intrusive hindrances. They never raised their voices, although I don’t know how they tolerated my challenges. I pushed their buttons in every way I could, but they refused to bite. Maybe they didn’t care because they didn’t scold and shout like the other kids’ parents. I felt the same about them as the circus except that I put up with them every day until the circus came.

The night that the circus set up, I came home late, and as always, they were there to remind me. Here we go again, I thought. I could tell what was coming by their nervous body language. My mother stroked her long blonde hair, and my father stood there scratching his neck while voicing their concerns in cool, conciliatory tones. They asked if I thought it was sensible to stay out so late on a school night. What difference does it make, I sneered.

On the second circus night, my parents came home after me looking drained, so they had nothing to say about my conduct. It was just as well. Despite my punk attitude and freelance lifestyle, apparently some of my parent’s gentle guidance had sunk in. I dealt in contraband that got me mixed up with unsavory people in seedy places, but I was careful. My parents had portrayed and I witnessed how it frequently ended for kids like me.

My parents were gone early on the third night. Earlier, my informant had told me the circus had followers he called gypsies. He said that they dealt in whatever you wanted especially if it proved profitable. I was skeptical, but considered it worth a look, so I headed to the circus. I paid to get in but patrolled the dark areas around the tents and behind the animal pens and bleachers trying to find these gypsies. While I wandered about, the circus announcer introduced and provided overblown theatrical comments for the performances. After the clowns finished, he announced a new act, a simultaneous husband and wife cannon shot.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I walked over to the bleacher access tunnel to watch. The clown couple were nervously taking their preload bows for the crowd, and as I watched, she held her blonde hair, and he stood there with his hand to his neck. How odd. After the drawn-out introduction, the couple crawled up the huge cannons and dropped into the barrels feet first. With the crowd shouting out the countdown, I found myself caught up into joining as two other clowns touched blazing sparklers to the cannon. Kaboom! In a cloud of smoke, the clown couple flew out and above all three rings to tumble into the far, awaiting nets. Not a bad act, I thought.

I stuck around, but the so-called gypsies never appeared. Something else nagged at me. I decided to call it a night in favor of my parents because I didn’t see them the previous nigh. Finding the house dark yet again, my gut flipped over. I flicked on the lights to find a note on the refrigerator. I read it slowly, fearful of what it said.

Honey, we decided to run away and start new lives. We are positive you can handle yourself just fine without us. Dinner is prepared for four days. Take care, love, Mom and Dad. 

So, there you have it. I can tell you my focus changed because on that dark night I couldn’t bear to see the traveling circus roll out of town.

Author's Note

I wish someone would straight up tell me what is wrong with my writing because, apparently, something is horribly wrong with everything I write.

Reviews

[wondering]

is that Attitude I sense?? It had an unexpected ending, good content and feeling, but what do I know I read for pleasure ot to drive other people crazy by telling them they can't write