The Human Kaboom by Adam Rubin

Author:Adam Rubin [Rubin, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2023-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

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Zuzana slept fitfully, haunted by dreams of her deceased relatives, waking every few minutes disoriented, forgetting where she was. She would sit up sweating and panting, her cheeks wet with tears.

Itsy climbed into bed with her in the middle of the night and massaged her head to calm her down. Bitsy would have come to comfort her too, but she couldn’t fit in the bed.

Having someone to snuggle with helped Zuzana finally fall asleep. But only an hour after sunrise, she woke to a thunderous explosion.

KABOOM!

Zuzana opened one eye. From the animal wagons, the elephants trumpeted grouchily. Clearly, they were not pleased to be woken so early.

Itsy and Bitsy bolted upright in bed.

“He’s here!” they exclaimed.

While the twins were busy gussying themselves up like they were going to the opera, Zuzana wandered over to the big top. Loud noises were coming from inside.

A high wire had been strung between two tall poles, and a wild-haired, olive-skinned man was checking all the support wires by doing pull-ups. Despite the fact that the sun had barely risen and the lights in the big top were off, he wore sunglasses.

Wunderheim was sitting in the stands, sipping a cup of tea and eating burnt toast with apricot jam. He noticed Zuzana enter the tent, snapped his suspenders, and approached the little girl gingerly.

“Zuzu, my darling. Please understand, I know our grief is still fresh . . . but the show must go on!” He spread his arms wide. “The public demands a grand finale. We cannot embark upon our tour without a spectacular feat that inspires the people to share stories with their grandchildren.”

Zuzana shrugged sadly. As much as it pained her to imagine anyone else closing the show, without a big finish, the circus could never be a success.

The ringmaster called to the man in the sunglasses. “Hugh, there’s someone here I’d like you to meet.”

When the young man turned to face her, Zuzana felt her belly go fluttery. He walked over and knelt with a calloused palm extended, his sleeves rolled up around his powerful forearms.

“You must be Zuzu,” he said with a hint of a Slavic accent. Zuzana’s distaste for her nickname suddenly vanished. He took her hand and leaned in closer. “Tahn-khoo-MEEN.”

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