Inanimate Read Online Free Page B

getting too big for his boots
around here. C ome on. He’s about to start”
    In the middle of the big top,
thousands of spectators cheer ed for the bear announcer. The surly brown bear
held the microphone well.
    “ Ladies and Gentleman, thank you
all for coming to the Williams family circus!”
    The crowd
cheer ed
emphatically.
    “ Now, the act you’ve been dying to see;
please put your hands together for Basket the Clown!”
    The crowd went wild, cheering as
the clown entered the arena, back flipping and somersaulting his
way to the podium. He held his chin up high as he looked at the
audience who waited for his performance with baited
breath.
    “ And now… ” Announced Bear…
    “… Basket will attempt his greatest
feat ever for your own personal pleasure. He will be raised high
into the air on this swing; he will then jump off, flipping five
times in midair and land safely… All without a harness!”
    The crowd hushed in unison, awestruck at
the thought of this incredible feat. A swing was lowered into the
middle of the big top and Basket gave a bow. He hoisted himself on
as it raised into the air. The crowd held their breath as they
stared at the clown swinging from side to side, higher and higher
on the swing.
    “ Oh my god he’s going to
die!” yelled
a crowd member as she swooned on top of the man sitting in front of
her.
    Basket
continue d
swinging until he was almost at the peak of the big top itself and
then let go... Cries rang out all over the arena as Bear counted
the summersaults.
    “ One!”
    Basket was still rising from his jump until
the second turn.
    “ Two!”
    He started falling rapidly to the ground,
turning all the while.
    “ Three!”
    “ Four!”
    “ Five!”
    Basket crashed to the ground, the
sandy floor sending up a thick cloud of dust.
    Everyone, even Bear held his breath. The
large Dummy nudged one of the smaller ones.
    “ Looks like we might not have to
kill him after all. He’s done it himself.”
    A tense moment passed and finally the dust
cleared. Basket crouched in a successful landing pose. The crowd
erupted in ecstatic applause.
    “ Ladies and gentleman, the
one , the
only…Basket the Clown!”
    (More eruption)
    “ Come on fellas” said the large
dummy, and the three of them pounced onto the sandy ground beside
Basket.
    The crowd fled in terror, these
dummies meant business.
    “ This is our town clown! Time for you to
leave!”
    “ Now fellas, let’s not cause any
trouble” said
Bear.
    “ Quiet you!”
    One of the smaller dummies muscled in on
Bear while Basket readied himself for a fight.
    Connor’s bedroom was a far cry from
the big top but in his mind, something big was about to go down. He
hadn’t bought any new toys since his mom died, nor had he played
with any others bought for him. He would much rather have had
clothes for Christmas and birthdays. His mother gave him almost all
the toys he had now and so he felt a special bond with them. All
except Betsy. Betsy was a porcelain doll that stood up to his
waist. His mother gave her to him one night when he was scared of a
storm outside. She said Betsy had looked after her when she was a
girl and so, she would look after him too. Connor slept well that
night knowing Betsy was beside him but he never played with her.
For one, Betsy was a girls doll and for two he would never have
forgiven himself if he broke her, knowing how much she meant to his
mom.
    “ You forget I have friends in
this town” said Basket.
    “ Yeah, like who?”
    Connor grabbed his toy dog and mashed the
dummies with it while making barking sounds.
    “ Retreat!” Connor yelled, mimicking
the Dummies voice.
    Forced by the human hand the
dummies were
whisked off to the side of the “Big Top” allowing Basket to assume
center stage once again.
    Mimicking a real crowd, Connor instilled
life into Basket. Making his favorite toy the object of affection
for the masses meant Basket could be real outside of his head as
well as in. Connor