Raj, the clown

Raj, the clown

Clad in his wobbly, blue pants, long-sieved white shirt, clumsy red shoes and pointed brown hat, Raj made his appearance, waving his hands to his audience. He circled the stage, clapping and waving amidst applause. He was then followed by his mate, dressed in similar outfits with different colors. The latter was a little taller.

Raj voiced out: “Why are displaying a look of anger?”

“I am sorry. It's a look of hunger. You have eaten my food.”

“I have forgotten to inform you. I saw a ghost eating your food”

“The ghost must be related to you “

“Yes, he was my host.”

“Stop talking of ghosts. Children listening to us would get scared. Let's entertain our audience. “

Raj started juggling colorful balls in the air. He failed to keep one or two in the air.

John made a mocking gesture about Raj's failure. He made a good start but very soon he started missing the balls. He had then to bear his mate's mockery.

“ok! Iam not good at juggling but I’m an expert in music.” said Raj who picked up one of the guitars lying on the table. He held it like a professional and started. How deceptive! A monotonous quaking sound filled the air. “Stop! Stop!”, John yelled.

“You are a disgraceful musician. Let me show you how dexterous I am.”

John took a guitar and started playing. What a mewing sound! An uncontrollable laughter from the audience. He kept on playing and the mewing filled the stage.

Then started a rope pulling act. Raj was at one end of the rope with John at the other. Sometimes Raj was taking the lead and another time, it was John. Soon a noisy kicking sound was heard. Both made a backward fall which was obviously amusing. While the audience was clapping, the two clowns waved goodbye to them and exited.

Then followed an aerobatic show by two female artists. They were very agile. Clung to the rope ladder, one lady swung and caught hold of the other hanging one. The other flung herself in the air and grabbed the oncoming rope ladder. Finally, both jumped into the emptiness, did an awesome somersault and landed safely in the extended net below.

Next, four male acrobats entered the stage got nestled at the trapezes and clinging to the hanging rope started their swings and impressive jumps, just like lively birds under the glowing spotlights. The enchanted audience had their eyes glued to them, expressing occasional sighs.

After the acrobatic show, the ringmaster in a shiny, bright coat flipped his whip and announced the animal show.

Behind the stage, Raj and John got shaken by a terrible sad news. Raj learned that his ailing, old dad had just passed away. It was his wife Angela who called him to pass on the bad news. He remembered having talked to him before coming. As usual his dad asked him to be cautious. He wept bitterly, thinking that he would no longer be able to chat with him and his words of caution. He was comforted by his circus mates, as well as his superiors. John suggested to him that he could perform alone and asked him to nurse his grief. But Raj said that he would perform. Mustering his courage, he said,” The show must go on”

A huge black elephant partly draped by a large red cloth made its majestic appearance, raising its trunk to greet the audience. It was followed by three horses. Each, a different color. The riders did acrobatic jumps over them. One of them ran over the walking horses The animal show lasted for a quarter hour and it appealed marvelously to the audience who clapped wildly.

The ringmaster appeared again, whipping here and there and announced the coming of the fire breather. He requested the audience “Please, get prepared to hold your breath for we’ll present to you an exhilarating act .

The fire breather was a little plump but quite tall. He was wearing a blue coat and black trousers. As he appeared, a remarkable silence was noted. No noise. No music. He made a deep inhale. Then he exhaled a blaze. There was then a loud music. It soon stopped. He again took a deep breath. Then he gave out a blaze again. Next a group of musicians appeared with their drums and a noisy music invaded the whole area.

The ringmaster appeared again, whipping noisily. He then announced:” John and Raj are coming to entertain you again.” Raj appeared, waving cheerfully to perform a magical trick. He stared at the audience for a minute. He then introduced his hand into his pocket and showed that it was empty. John came from behind and handed him a red handkerchief. He showed it to the audience and put it into his pocket He cast a cursory glance and removed it. He handed it to John. He showed his empty hand. He reached his pocket again and removed another handkerchief which was blue. He repeated the magic and at each time a handkerchief of different color was taken out and handed to John who held a big bundle in both hands. A loud music was played, meaning the end of this act.

John laid the handkerchiefs on a table. He mocked Raj and said that his act was too simple. The latter challenged him and asked him to lay eggs. John voiced out “I don’t want to become a hen.”

Raj retorted: “You have to act. Be a hen, then.

He bent and squat to assume the role of a hen. He kept cackling as a hen. The scene was so humorous that it sparked loud clippings and laughter from the audience. Then both moved around, one pooting and the other gurgling. John suddenly halted, putting his right hand over his chest and gave out a moaning sound. He stopped and dropped himself down. Raj rushed to him, knelt down and laid his hand on the latter's chest. Standing up, he cast a look of astonishment towards the audience. He then held his mate's hand and checked the pulse. A sad music prevailed over the stage. Raj yelled: “It can't be. Why did you leave me? What a nasty choice! You make me maimed and useless. Being older than me, I always looked upon you as being my elder brother and at times, even as my dad. You taught me so many things in life and your pieces of advice offered right guidelines for a peaceful, harmonious and successful life. I’ll miss you a lot. At that very instant, Raj noticed that there was a complete silence in the hall. He got the feeling that the audience had thought that it was a real death scene. A mourning music was on. He thought that it was high time to reveal the truth. He took his phone and pretended that he was in touch with God. He neared his friend John. He bent down and shook him strongly, saying aloud:” Wake up, John! God has sent you back. He too said:” The show has to go on”. John opened his eyes. He stood up. He was amazed to see Raj beside him. They hugged each other amidst a huge applause. The ringmaster thanked the audience for their presence and hoped to see them back at the next show.