When the tour arrived in Plimpton, Angus found his venue was a crumbling barn hardly large enough to accommodate the trapeze. Stone walls buttressed each end of the building. A sagging roof spanned the gap.
“These buggers expect to see someone fly,” Angus grumbled, leaving Joanna and Marcus to produce some semblance of their regular show.
They worked late, and by the following day Joanna was certain of two things: one, that a miracle was required to pull off their tricks, and two, that she was, to her great satisfaction, with child.
As the sun waned, weak beneath the upland clouds, Joanna’s joy at the gentle nausea in her stomach gave way to a deeper, biting pain at the thought of confessing to Marcus.
When he’d selected her six months ago, the prospect of roaming the countryside with a circus had seemed a dream. Joanna had risen to every challenge, she’d soon found herself rising from Marcus’s bed in the mornings as well. But he had no need of a wife, as he’d made clear from their first stumbling fall into the straw. Still, Joanna hoped that a child might make a better prospect.
She held her confession taut on the tip of her tongue until moments before their act.
“Marcus,” she said quietly. “I’m pregnant.”
He ceased wrapping his ankles momentarily, then continued as though she had not spoken. She wondered if he’d heard her at all.
Angus passed, clapping Marcus on the back, and Marcus responded with a wry remark about barns.
At this, Joanna became certain he hadn’t heard, and resolved to confess during a gentler moment. She tied her last ribbon, rubbed chalk into her palms, and climbed to the eaves.
As Angus bellowed below, Joanna set off, sweeping through the air to meet Marcus. They flowed through their routine, arms and legs meeting as one, and yet Marcus avoided her eyes.
A pit formed in Joanna’s stomach, a hard little thing that grew sharper with each turn.
The finale arrived, a long, arcing throw, which they had planned dramatically close to the stone wall. Joanna’s body swung back, and as she turned to face Marcus, his eyes met hers, and she knew then that he had heard her.
Her legs whipped away, towards the uncompromising stone, and she reached for him, but instead of gripping tightly to her fingers, Marcus let her go.
OH my goodness!! This was incredibly sad, my heart dropped when Marcus let her go. Wonderful writing.
I had a little frisson at the end. I could see it coming, but could not stop till the last word. Thank you for entering!
I had chills from the minute she told him and he gave no response…beautifully written!
Bastard! That got to me. Beautifully written.
Really beautiful and gripping. Very well done.
Gripping and tense. I also knew where it was going and could not stop. Then again, no one there to catch me. Well done!
Oh god, I sensed the ending and my stomach was tense right until the final death knell. Nail bitingly good. And the description and set up are excellent.
Gasp–so beautifully written! I was slayed by this story.
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This is fabulous – I could see it coming but I was gripped right to the end. Great writing.
Whoa, that was great.
BAM!! This one eviscerates from beginning to end. Well told, m'friend. Painful – but well told.
Wow, my stomach got a pit in it right along with her. This was like a roller coaster…you're going down and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Really great writing!
Thanks so much everyone 🙂 I enjoyed telling Joanna and Marcus's story, even if the truth was far from a fairy tale ending.
Good one.
Saw it coming. Great minds! Possibly evil!
Very well told.
Brutal.
I saw it coming, but it was still a hard landing.
Cheers!
JzB
However much we all saw it coming poor Joanne didn't. Good story telling making us all read to the bitter end. Maybe we all secretly hoped for the fairy tale ending and a final twist – or maybe it was just me?
That was terrible (the story itself, not the writing of it). Great idea for a writing prompt 🙂
-K8
http://froze8.blogspot.com/
This story made me tingle all over. Thanks, Melanie! Beautiful work.
So dark but oh so good! Well done! I could feel it in the pit of my stomach.
Lovely to hear from another Melanie 🙂
I know exactly what you mean. I hoped for that, too, when I wrote it.
What a terrible, horrific story. My heart just fell as the scene progressed – I knew what was coming but I couldn't look away. Well done!
Jessica
Visions of Other Worlds
WoW! I felt myself fallng with her the entire time! And closing my eyes at the horror of it with the last word. Well done!
Oh, wow. This felt like getting slugged in the stomach. Fantastic storytelling <3
Gah! The pit in her stomach was in MY throat. Way to go!
Oh I felt that coming and yet it still shocked me! So tragic and yet beautifully written. Great work 🙂
Wonderfully written, I too had a terrible pit in my stomach. Great tension and heartbreak.
An excellent slice of life story… You use the photo well & develop a nice counterpoint between the show and life. Very nice.
Thank you! I don't know about you guys, but I'm having a terrible time picking my three fan favorites 🙂
You know what, I always read my stories aloud to proof them. When I got to the end of reading this one, I couldn't finish the sentence.
So sad! I knew as soon as she told him (just before their act) that he would do that, but I found myself reading it hoping he wouldn't! Excellent story for Behind the Curtain. 🙂
Just like Anna, I knew that something terrible was coming, but couldn't tear my eyes away. Lovely language and tension.
Woot! Congratulations on winning, this was AMAZING. Well deserved win! Kept me in suspence the whole time and I was biting my lip so hard it bled. Oh my goodness.
That built so beautifully dark, and then let me fall in anguish. Loved it!! Congratulations on a worthy win!
Thanks paul 🙂
Thanks so much for reading, everyone–and thank you to Anna for giving all of such a compelling prompt 🙂