The natives were restless. He could feel it in the air, hear it in the impatient shuffle of programs and the murmured voices of families gathered together to see a special show.
He checked his tie again, feeling the first flutter of nervous excitement come to him. It was infectious, that thrill of waiting for the good times when they were only moments away.
His tie was perfect. He had to accept that it was time and there was no longer any reason for delays. His shoes tapped smartly on first concrete and then hardwood floors as he made his way toward the stage. He rolled the top hat from one hand to the other and finally placed it on his head at a jaunty angle. Style counted, no matter what anyone had to say about the matter.
The music started, a full orchestra worth of musicians, all of whom had played the same notes too many times to count. He hoped they could keep their professionalism in place. Oh, there was a back up sound system for emergencies, but that wasn’t quite the same as the real thing.
The curtain parted before him, and the first few patrons of the show noticed, sending a subtle ripple through the audience. The excitement grew stronger until it was nearly a physical wave, and he felt his lips part in a smile that he no longer even tried to hold back.
Adrenaline kicked him in the chest and rocketed his pulse into the stratosphere. No matter how many times he was on the stage, that part never changed.
“Layydieees and Gennnntlemeennnah, Girls and Boys! If I could have your attention please!” His voice boomed through the auditorium, carried to the farthest points by the acoustics of the building. He waited a moment, let them adjust to him, to where he stood, dwarfed by the massive curtain that still stood closed behind him. “Welcome one and all to the Alexander Halston Carnival of the Fantastic!”
For one moment the orchestra faltered, weakened, but then they caught on and started playing again. A change of venue: they’d been through worse before.
The audience applauded, but weakly. The name was wrong. The show they were here to see was called the Carnivale de Fantastique and no one named Alexander Halston had anything at all to do with that.
Just the same, he bowed to their applause as surely as if they had given a standing ovation.
“My name is Rufo the Clown, and I’m your master of ceremonies tonight.” He paused, just for a moment, as he looked at a tyke in the first row. The boy smiled at him and he fired off a quick wink. “You are, I promise you, in for one hell of a show!”