Voices: Son of the Circus by E. L. Norry

Author:E. L. Norry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Published: 2019-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

12.

I clenched my handbills and walked faster. I didn’t turn around because if I stopped to acknowledge them, things might get worse.

I knew it was a group of boys because of their snorting laughter. How many might there be?

“Oi! Show us yer tricks, circus boy!” a boy hollered.

Another boy started making ape noises.

George and I had been called names in the street because of our skin colour, although not too often. Further trouble had been avoided because we’d just run straight home and got ourselves safe behind closed doors, where we didn’t have to consider those horrible names, or how angry and sad they made us. But here, now, there was nowhere to run, and worse still, I was alone.

What would George do if he were here? What would Larkin do, or Pablo for that matter?

“You show-off circus folk think you’re special.”

“We want an advance show. See if it’s worth paying pennies for later, which it probably ain’t!” Gales of laughter followed.

“Oi!” A harder voice, full of thunderclouds, chimed in. “My father says the darker the skin the smaller the brain – that true?”

My bladder prickled; they sounded closer now. If I ran, they might give chase, and then there was no telling what they’d do if they caught me. How many were there? Should I turn and face them? I was going to be sick.

“We should bash his head open to find out!”

I halted. I’d stopped so suddenly I feared they would crash into the back of me, and although I was no rider or acrobat, I wasn’t a coward either.

Furious, I turned round to see who dared speak such dark, horrifying words.

Five boys. Five! Bigger and older than me. Two of them had whiskers, and all wore tight little sneers.

I stood no chance!

Four of them took up a fighting stance, and the other boy, the stockiest, hunkered down and then charged with both arms out, shoving me in the middle of my chest.

I rocketed backwards but didn’t fall over.

“Looks like he’s been eating mud!”

“Ha! Push ’im harder! Go on. You can get him down if you try hard enough.”

They circled round and pushed me back and forth amongst them, like I was a ragdoll. Something wet and foul struck my cheek – spittle.

I couldn’t escape now. I had no idea what to do. I closed my eyes and murmured a silent prayer.

THWACK!

A punch, especially one you don’t see coming, is a mighty surprise.

CRACK!

My nose! I dropped to my knees. Instinct kicked in and I shielded my face with my arms, covering my head as best I could, but they were grabbed and pinned behind my back. My cheek was struck.

In my mind, I blocked my ears to the taunts. I prayed this would all be over soon. I squeezed my eyes tight, trying to conjure up Mother’s voice and remember comforting words she’d say late at night, if George and I had had a bad day. ‘You’re my boys. My boys. You pay those wicked words no mind. The two of you are perfect.

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