1 Chapter 1

The circus had been all he had every known. The high rise tents, sparkling walls, screams of cheer of from excited children and the dingy old trailers. Sal Yrtnevoc-Ttocs or "just sal", if you asked him was intoxicated by the thrill of the circus how it tore through him as if he were paper. Sal never wanted the circus life yet the circus life wanted him. Le Cirque Des Fous was the largest yet most unknown circus on the planet. The circus had once been 2 separate circuses until the children of the ringmasters had a child together and formed a whole new circus. That child was none other then our main character, the daring, the brave, the magnificent Sal Yrtnevoc-Ttocs. Sals family was a large part of the circus yet they seemed so insignificant in the rope tying despite being the cogs that kept it running.

Sal's mother was a trapeze artist, his grandfather a strong man, his grandmother a fortune teller, and his late grandmother in his fathers side was the circus coffee addict. All his family had a part in the circus except Sal who was yet to find his calling. For as long as he could remember it had always been him, his mother, his sister Vita and his dear grandparents. His sister was 9 and already apart of the "pretty women dance troupe", but Sal he was 16 years of age and had no idea what part in the circus he was or even if he wanted the circus. His mother had sent him to the best clown school, trapeze school and flame throwing school yet even though he came out with wonderful grades he never felt like he belonged there.

Sal had stepped into the back of the big top where the performers were getting ready.

"Sal my boy, lovely to see you old chap, it's a pity you ain't joining us tonight my dear friend", his uncle Jack the buffoon was never one for small talk.

He lifted his head high and looked his uncle in the eyes " Now Uncle you know why I don't participate",he replied

"Ahhhh I know my boy, I know",.

He gave his uncle a curt nod and proceeded towards his mother's dressing room. As his feet took him towards the wooden door that had his mother's name written upon it he heard a deep voice reciting the most well known phrase in circus. Upon listening closer he saw it was Tiberius the snake charmer. Tiberius lifted his giraffe like neck and and with a mouthful of water recited the words:

" Guys! Gals! And children alike! Welcome to the show of a lifetime! Come see the magic and wonder, watch as the world around you disappears and in place a abyss of glitter and stars. See the lions roar and the monkeys screech! Come and enter a show like none other".

For many years the circus hadn't had a ringmaster to announce the acts so they all took it in turns. Sal watched as the snake charmer lifted the lid of can basket to reveal a 6 foot long cobra the thickness of his waist.

A callous hand grasped his shoulder and a harsh toned voiced said "Don't become two enthralled by the snake whisperer boy", Sal looked up to see it was none other the the strongman, Jeffro, who just so happened to be his grandfather.

"Don't trust that man my boy, for the only ones able to charm snakes, are snakes themselves".

Before Sal could even agree his grandfather had disappeared, then like a thunder the drums began beating and Tiberius was announcing the circus and Sal was climbing the ropes to sit up on the highest ledge to see the performance begin. No matter how many times he saw it the entrance was always the most thrilling part. The elephant riders came out first with there feathery dresses and large elephants, then came the clowns, following the clowns where several other acts, then came Jack the buffoon, his grandmother Marie the fortune teller, his dearest sister Vita and her troupe lastly came Michelina the lion tamer.

And when the crowd of people had stopped there applause the very first and very best act began. The lights turned off and a thousand white doves flew out of the curtains into the sky then a figure dressed in white, dropped from high above the crowd and landed on the trapeze swing. She flew from one swing to another with more grace then the butterfly, her body fluttering effortlessly from from swing to the other, she stops does a twirl in the air then lands on the platform. Then she grabs the handle her white suit shining like stars, the trapeze artist who was known as Eliza, threw herself into the air, she falls, grabs hold of the second swing, her hands slip, the crowed gasped as she falls, her body cutting through the air like a knife, then she opens her arms and out comes wing shaped fabric she flies to the swing and takes hold ,the crowd cheers, she then continues her performance. As she is ends she takes one swing around the tent and slowly comes pass Sal, the beautiful lady drops a paper bag on his lap and lands upon the ground in a split.

He opens the bag and in it is two ham sandwiches, one for him and one for him to give to his cat later that night, he looks in the bag and sees a handwritten note. The white clothed lady took one look up at where he was hiding and smiled, as he read the note which stated:

I hope you liked the performance, eat up.

Love Mum