the circus girl

she’s really too old to be a circus girl anymore, but that’s how she thinks of herself. it’s not even really a circus, just a traveling troupe, with some clowns, magicians, and animals. she’s the magician’s assistant. his name is Andrew, but he calls himself Zappo the Magnificent. he used to be a friend of her father’s, before her parents died and she ran away. she thought she could make it on her own, thought she could find a life for herself. she wanted to be an actress. what kind of a character am I? She thinks. my name is Dianna Lincoln, I’m thirty-four years old, and my life is screeching to a halt. sitting in her pretty red dress and lipstick, with polka dotted tights and a necklace of pearls. she’s backstage, whistling. because how could her luck get any worse? her hands are folded in her lap as she stares to the water. she wishes she could just run away. but she’s already away. there’s not a soul in the world that loves her, I mean, really loves her. andrew doesn’t count. she’s all-alone in this godforsaken place, where a few tourists on road trips pass by, their blinking red faces reminding her of raw meat. she’s the funny girl. what does that mean? what was she thinking? is this it?


this passage is based on a picture which i cannot get to load onto blogger. however, i will tell you that the picture was taken by david eustace, and that i found it on this site. try to guess which picture im talking about.