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Subject: +*+*+*+ Solomon's Private File #236 "Run Away To the Circus" +*+*+*+
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:35:38 -0400
From: " +Grant. " <+Grant@grant.grant>
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Solomon's Private File #236
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 26 in this story, in the Fall of 2052.
Solomon's Private File #236 "Run Away To the Circus"
START Page
He said to me, "What makes you think you're qualified to join our
circus?" I said to him, "I don't think either way. Who qualifies is
your determination, not mine. I can do a lot of what your performers
do, and I can show you. What else can I say?" He nodded and said, "Why
do you want to join us?" I said, "You travel all over the galaxy. I
want to do that, too. And doing what I love at the same time, just
can't be beat." He said, "Your references are unusual. We've never had
an applicant from your religious commune." I smiled and said, "They can
stand more boredom than I can. Some aren't sorry to see me go, while
they're saying to all that they are. I can stand hypocrites even less."
He said, "Will your religious convictions cause problems here?" I said,
"I'm not very religious now, with one exception. I will not kill. I
think that probably won't be much of an issue here." He said, "Well
thought." He set up an evaluation appointment for me with the
performance coach.
I shifted to a planet named Great Plains, also called GP, in a galaxy
far away. It was an unusual planet for the people who had colonized it.
It had a little more than twice the gravity that their original planet
had, and all the other colonized planets had in the Empire. That made
the humanoid population there a little shorter than average, but much
faster and stronger, who looked it, too. And a little odd to most, for
that. They were popular only for their traveling circus. Less popular
to the general population of the Empire, were the GP bodyguards that
the most important people in the Empire used. Respected, though.
The performance coach had me walk the length of a 2cm thick board, 2m
above the ground, on the edge. I did, easily, and said, "Want me to try
some acrobatics on this?" He said, trying to hide his surprise, "Sure.
Give it a try." I did, including summersaults. He tried to hide his
amazement. He said, "Can you do that on a slack wire?" I said, "I don't
know. I can try. Over there?" He smiled and said, "Proceed." I walked
the wire without a problem. Turning on it, wasn't easy. I fell off the
first time. I said, "More of this, I think I'll need better shoes." I
got back on the wire, and did some successful turns. I tried a
handstand, and fell. I did it again with my legs spread for better
balance, and succeed. Then I tried to turn in that position, and fell.
I succeeded the second time. By then, I had quite an audience, with
more arriving. I tried a one arm handstand on the slack wire, and made
it. I dismounted and said, "Do that again, I'll need some kind of
gloves. So, what's next?" He said, "You never did those things on the
slack wire before?" I said, "Yes. I know I'm not good enough on it now,
but I'll be better with practice." He said, "Have you seen our circus
before?" I said, "We didn't have media access where I lived. Heard
about it, though."
He obviously wanted to say wow. He said, instead, "Done any
clowning?" He said, "According to my parents, yes, unfortunately."
Chuckles. He said, "Martial arts?" I said, "Advanced." He said, "I'm
going to push you. Make it funny." He shoved me in the chest. I added
some to that, and as I fell backward, I raised my legs in the air. I
broke the fall with my forearms beside me, and had my chin tucked, so I
wouldn't bang my skull on the ground. I let out a surprised "Woop!"
Then I looked around to see what happened. I said, "Anybody see where
that invisible giant went?" Chuckles. I scrambled to my feet, and said,
"Lemee at'em!" I made some punching motions with my arms, but twisted
my body, and fell in a heap. I groaned theatrically, and said, "That'll
teach him." Laughter. He gave me a hand in pulling me up, and I came up
much higher than expected. After settling down, I said, "Thanks. You're
stronger than I look." Chuckles. He was grinning.
He said, "Juggle?" I said, "I can say I'm good at that. Practiced."
He handed me some things, and I did it well. I said, "Use balls with
holes in them, I can do it blindfolded." He said, "Why the holes?" I
said, "So I can locate them with sound, if the area isn't too loud." He
nodded, and said, "Throw knives?" I said, "Sure. Need a target. Who
here do you like the least?" Laughter. We went to a wooden practice
target, and he pointed out the knives. I picked one up, and twirled it
in the air a few times, catching it by the handle, which caused some
comment. I said, "Good knives. I like mine better, though. Made them
myself." I threw one at the lower left corner. Then another at the
upper right corner. Then more knives in a line between them, finishing
with all equal distance from each other. I said to the astonished
coach, "I didn't like tearing up the center of my targets. Making
different patterns is more interesting, too." He said, "And MUCH more
difficult!" I said, "True. Easy is boring. I don't do boring all that
well." Grins and chuckles.
He said, "Can you do that blindfolded?" I said, "Boring, sure. Oh,
you mean with the knives?" Chuckles. He said, "Yes." I said, "If the
target doesn't move." He said, "Spinning?" I said, "If I can hear an
indication of it for each revolution, probably. If I can't hear it,
somebody's going to need a new job. Er, after me." Chuckles. He said,
"Bow, crossbow?" I said, "Good archer. Never used a cross bow, but did
a few less angry." Laughter. He said, "Are you always this funny?" I
said, "Inside, much more. You're just hearing what escapes." Laughter.
He said, "Stage magic?" I said, "I can make a paycheck disappear
pretty well." Chuckles. I said, "I can do some simple tricks. Probably
more with the right equipment. Can really pull hair out of hats."
Laughter. I said to him in a stage whisper, "A little too much?" He
said with a smile, "Now, no. Act is more controlled and scripted." I
said, "Hmm, conscripted." He said, "For you, I think so, if you agree.
Can you do trapeze?" I said, "I've never worked with others like that.
in my office now." We went. He said, "Salary. We pay well." I said,
"Want the truth, or we bargain?" He smiled, and said, "Truth is
different for us psionic people." I said, "You have a lot of them
here." He said, "True. Useful in gauging how our performances are
going." I said, "A distraction." He said, "For some, yes."
I said, "I just need what works to live on. I care about work, not
play. Working here would be both at the same time. Can't beat that." He
said, "I can appreciate that. Could take a while for you to fit in.
Could be some resentment." I said, "I take it I'm better in some
things. Can't help that, but I can teach, which could make that a
little less." He said, "You like to teach?" I said, "I do." He said,
"Tell me, are you able to lie?" I looked at him in surprise, and said,
"Why would I?" He said, "Please try." I did dry, and nothing came out.
that again." He nodded, and said, "I thought so. You're more advanced
in psionics than you may have realized. Anyway, that's not something we
need to be concerned about now. I can't give you a performer's pay
until you're put in a playing act. So for now, it's probationary
apprentice level. In camp, we provide room and board, which you're
required to use. Share a room. We do the same, but different in each
stop, traveling. We provide all common gear. Need something for an act
we're going to run, tell. Practice gear for your own improvement, you
can use what's available here, or purchase your own. Other people's
private gear is off limits, even if they offer it. Peer pressure is
tight here. I know you've felt it." I nodded and said, "Full agreement
to all."
He said, "One more thing. We do shows in low gravity settings. You'll
need to practice in orbit like the rest of us. If you can't handle it,
and some can't, we can't use you." I said, "I understand. I throw up
equipment, not chewed food." He chuckled, and said, "Right. When can
you start?" I said, "Eh, now. I didn't burn my bridges, but they're
more than a little er, scorched." He laughed. He said, "Now it is.
Here's our standard contract." I glanced at it, and said, "Fine." He
said, "Let me guess. You read and memorized it in a second." I said,
"Er, something like that." He said, "Are there more like you in the
commune?" I said, "THAT would cause problems!" He laughed hard. I
signed it, and pressed my thumb on the print area. He told me where to
find the facilities manager.
I said to him, when he wasn't busy, "I'm Solomon, new apprentice
level, until they put me in an act. Where do I get almost no sleep?" He
chuckled, and said, "I saw your audition. I've been expecting you. This
way." We went to something like a rooming house on the grounds, and
into a room for two. It was unoccupied. He said, "It's between guests.
Here's where you put your things. Got a lot?" I said, "No, not a lot.
Actually, well, er, just what you see." He looked full of curiosity. I
said, "I left the commune in a bit of a hurry. They might not want to
see the front of me again. I er, said a few things they didn't exactly
love. Being true, put them in a er, not quite generous frame of mind.
Such as they had." He tried not to laugh. I said, "That's alright. I
think it was funny, too." He chuckled. I said, "We can't choose where
to be born and raised." He said, "I know that, myself. So do a lot of
our people. Come, we have a small stock of things for just this kind of
situation. When you can buy your own things, you can help restock it."
I said, "I will." He nodded. I put the things in my area of the room.
Then he took me to a facilities assistant, a rigging supervisor, and he
put me to work.
Rigging work was interesting, and real work. I did well at it,
cheerfully, and with no complaints. One morning, I said to one of the
riggers, "There's something wrong with this tensioner. It doesn't feel
right." He said, "It looks fine to me." I said, "It's going to break. I
know it." He said, "I say it's alright! Do your job, and I'll do mine,
you hear?" I said, "Yes, I hear." So did some others. That afternoon,
while a woman was practicing on the high pole, that tensioner broke,
and the pole tilted in the other direction, violently, throwing the
performer off of it. I was near enough to rush to be there when she
fell on top of me. I did it just right, so she wasn't injured, but I
was knocked out. I woke up when they were lifting her off of me. I said
to her, "Not the most convenient way to meet people, but, hi, I'm
Solomon. Are you hurt?" She said, "No, I don't think so, except for a
little bruising. I'm Racen. You saved my life!" I said, "Well, it was
just an accident I could be under you. Hmm, that didn't sound right."
She had to laugh.
The performance coach said, "Sol, are you hurt?" I said, "Well, I
still have all my parts attached, which I now know much more than
before. If they had voices, you'll all be hearing them." Despite their
concern, they had to chuckle. I tried to get up, and then didn't. I
said, "You know, this mat is a lot more comfortable than I realized. I
think I should spend a little time appreciating it." He sent them all
away, and then said to me, "Truth." I said, "Two cracked ribs. Not
displaced. Some strains elsewhere. A LOT of bruising. Think of what an
expressionist painter would do. With his foot." He had to chuckle. He
said, "Your humor is actually an important part of you." I said, "I
think so. Definitely NOT going to get THAT bruised." He grinned, and
helped me up. I was a little woozy. I said, "Add a very mild concussion
to the list. The world isn't supposed to go around like it just did,
without me in a space suit." He said, "Have you ever worn one?" I said,
"Not yet."
I moved around, testing things. I said, "All works. Better than I
expected." He looked at me strangely. I said to him very seriously,
"She would have died. I couldn't let that happen." He nodded. He took
me to the general manager's office. The rigger was already there, and
in tears. The manager said, "I heard about the prior incident, just
now." I said, "Please don't blame him. I could have been more
insistent, but I wanted to fit in more easily. I was wrong. It was my
fault. I'm not the usual apprentice here. I'm 26. I had a life and
education before this, which he wasn't used to considering. It's not
really his fault that he didn't believe me." He nodded. The rigger
looked grateful beyond words.
Manager said to me, "No work. Take as long as you need to heal." I
said, "Please, can I keep working? I agree not as hard, but doing
nothing is, for me, a kind of harm, too. And I heal fast." He said,
"Use your best judgement. But go rest a little now." I did. He said to
the other two, after I left, "He's much more than you know. More than
HE knows. Take his word as absolute truth. If he does something good
but strange, don't make a fuss about it." Rigger said, "What kind of
strange?" He said, "I expect him to heal much faster than normal."
Coach nodded and said, "He ripped his hands on the slack wire in the
audition. They were completely healed the next day. I wouldn't be
surprised if he could heal other people, too." Manager said, "It's
important we don't frighten him with too much notice of that. If we can
manage it so it works with the ethics I assume he has, he can be of
great benefit to our mission." Coach said, "He's much smarter and more
educated than he acts. He's going to figure it out, sooner or later."
Nods.
The rigger came to me in my room. I got up from the bed, and
suppressed a groan. I said, "Not the kind of stiffness I consider
useful." He had to chuckle. He said, "I don't know how to thank you.
You saved my job!" I said, "I'm not so sure of that. Boss is smart. I
have to admit I'm unusual. Always have been. I think he knows, and
would make allowances for that." He said, "And you're more smart than
you let on." I said, "My need for activity isn't just for the physical.
Some differences are resented more than others." He said, "Oh! I think
I understand a little better now. The way you move, you know some
martial arts, but I can't classify it. I'm forth expert pin."
I said, "I would have to count my bruises to give you a number now,
but I don't really know where I would fit in the pin ranking. I studied
it for the art and exercise, not caring about rank. I don't like to
fight." He said, "I understand. I used to love to fight." I said,
"Until you really hurt somebody who didn't deserve it. You left that
life for one here, and made a good home of it." He said in surprise,
"Yes! How did you know?" I said, "I didn't. I still don't. I said it,
and I know it's true. That's all. I knew you would tell me, and it
would be better for you if I did it." He said, "That's true. Wow!" I
said with a smile, "I heard much worse when I did something like that
before." He said, "And that's why YOUR change of life." I said, "There
appear to be some similarities. I wouldn't be surprised if that applied
to a lot here." He said, "You'd be right. A circus of misfits." I put
my hand on his shoulder, and said, very seriously, "A circus of BETTER
fits." He nodded, with a tear.
END Page
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Grant
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