Story for Their Town: A Town of Circus Freaks

Chapter 5: Please, Nick

“Listen, Nick… I know you aren’t no hero type, but think of your family. They come back within two days don’t they?” Mary starts with the first of her manipulation techniques, and all Nick does is raise an eyebrow, of the person standing next to him.

“I mean, your kid shall a be proud of you. And your height is overwhelming that you can strike fear into anyone. Isn’t that the point? Get em out as quick as possible and as soon as now?”

Nick let go of the other’s eyebrow. He stood there and just shook his own head side to side. Nick was not interested at all. You see Nick was not a fighter, although he was massive but Mary was a fighter, although she was more on the tiny side. It seems as if the two kind of envied each other. Nick looked like a fighter while Mary was a fighter. That was the shallow interruption of why Nick wouldn’t want to be a sheriff and maybe there is more to the story. But that is his story to tell, I think it’s too personal from me to give you my theories and ideas about a subject I know none of. But I can say that he was scared of the responsibility and either he failed or worse… succeeded.

Any way… Mary sighed. There was a mumbling silence as Mary made the face of a thinker while Nick turned around to head out without a wave of his hand. Maybe Mary had gotten to him with all that family talk or maybe he had an uncharacteristic moment of rudeness? I am still not really sure to this day.

And now I shall be off to the taker of piss chamber and my good friend here will tell you the rest since he a saw what had happened out in that then dark on that then night. Take it away Palin:

Hi I am Palin… welcome… I guess…. Umm…. He is not a good introducer… ummm. But let’s pick up where he left off. So… I like, better at telling stories than small talk. I was outside that night as he had said. I was always outside; it was loud enough inside for me to hear everything outside so I was outside, umm, having a smoke. I smoke more when my nervous are… high… Would you like a smoke? Oh ok, just in case, here they are help yourself. Ummmmm.

Anyway. Nick walked passed me… with a head nod, I nodded back, I think. Then Mary almost ran me over chasing him. So that is where I can start… continuing. I could, can hear everything with my massive ears and all. They touch the floor and lie on top of my head because of gravity. As you can see. So…that night…

Nick was walking away from the town hall. The moon and the stars were giving him light while the fireflies were keeping him company. They were having a conversation among themselves that Nick wished to be a part of, anything to get his mind off the suggestion of him being the new, temporary sheriff. His toes for fingers wiggled as he walked, a trait this wife would often mock him of, in a joking kind of way. He was looking forward to her and their son return in a few days time. Well, if it was still the same town that they had left. He mentally shook that though from his mind.

There must have been slight footsteps following him, but he did not turn around. He could tell by their small weight and short step distance that it was Mary, the donkey-faced, self-appointed, for lack of a better word, “mayor”. Nick did not slow his pace but the fireflies were going silent. A bunch of eavesdroppers these buggers were. Mary finally caught up to the giant of a man, Nick.

“Nick!”

Nick ignored her. Not even stopping. Not even turning his head. His eyes pointed to the land under his feet while his body tensioned with the thought of him walking into a tree all due to his stubbornness.

“Nick! You are being stubborn.”

Now, normally a, somewhat mindreading, sentence like this would make a man (or woman… or…z?) freeze in place and draw the last breath for thee being since the very idea that there was no privacy left would be the only reason to end it, either his own life or hers. But…. Nick was not normal, so he kept on walking with no change as if he had magically gone deaf.

“Nick, think of the children?”

He did. He did not care for them. Only his own, of course.

“Think of the people.”

Alright, now that was a bigger list. There was his brother, his wife (sometimes, she could be annoying but then he was more so), parents had gone on to the great beyond- the other side of the river in another town, they visited every month. Who else? His hopping along to keep up beside him, sister-in-law Mary? Well, not right now so she doesn’t count. I guess that it? Not that many people to move out and all of them were currently away. So the people currently in the town he did not really care for. That is what I got from his face, body language and to be blunt I would think the same as Nick in that situation.

“Well…..think of the animals.” Maybe Mary was reading his mind?

Aeeee animals will survive, they did before and they will again. Nick can find new ones. Although he will take a few chickens.

“STOP!!!” Mary’s voice echoed against the cottages of the town, almost making the word vibrated with the force of angry emotion. Nick stopped and turned to her. They eyes met for the first time since he left the town hall. Well I think so; it was a bit dark to see. But when the fireflies sat on his shoulder so they lit up the scene a bit more and they were looking at each other. Nick just shook his head while Mary stared at him.

“Why ‘no’?” she asked him, her eyes strain

Nick shook his head.

“You are being selfish… and lazy.”

Nick grunted for a bit, as if he was saying something. Mary’s eyes widen as her face grew red under the moon lit night sky. Her donkey-like face looked more human in that light. Her mouth and nose were long but her eyes were closer together comparing to normal donkeys. Her skin was what gave her that description in the first place. It had a grey tint to it which was less noticeable in the dark hence why she looked more human. However, the red seemed to have shined thought the grey and the dark.

“So I was right? You are lazy. You don’t wanna be no sheriff because it too much work and you would rather be on that there farm?” she pointed to the pink house on the hill which Nick looked lovely at. Mary said not a word and turned to walk away. But a little thought caused her to pause. She said the thought:

“Your brother would have done it if he were here. And he once told me he would have loved for you to be his partner.” She held back a tear as she walked away with Nick merely standing there. He looked to the stars and I would like to think he saw his brother looking back at him, tilting his side to the direction of the town hall. Mary would not lie about the words of her late husband. Nick let out a breath and slowly dragged his feet towards the town hall’s door where the mumbling was quiet since everyone decided to become fireflies those few moments.

So that it was what I heard. Ummm. I guess he is not back yet from the restroom. So I’ll carry on until he comes back. Hope swapping narrators isn’t too confusing for you? Oh, you ok with it… Great. Ummm…