The Circus

Prologue

PrologueThe year is 1985. In America, Ronald Reagan is beginning his second term as President of the United States, something which leaves the British public in awe, wondering how a B-list actor can find himself in one of the most important roles of his life, a sign that things are changing across the globe.

In the United Kingdom, teenagers are exploring new fashions, from padded shoulders inspired by the actresses on the drama 'Dallas' to tennis gear as worn on the courts of Wimbledon in the summer. In January of this particular year, British Telecom announced its plans to phase out the iconic red telephone boxes across the country, causing an outcry by the public, who saw them as a part of our heritage. The Royal family were in the news too, with visits to far off lands and rumours of marital troubles for Prince Charles and Princess Diana, a woman who had captured the hearts of every household with her demure looks and tireless campaigning for charities overseas.

The mid 1980's also prompted a change in one of the nation's much loved entertainments, the Circus. People were becoming more aware of the cruelty involved in trying to tame the lions and tigers who were forced to perform nightly in the ring, and the circus owners themselves were forced to look for new acts, with human performers, to replace the traditional animal ones. Enter the daredevil stunt riders, flying through rings of fire on their motorcycles, strong men able to lift three times their own bodyweight and everyone's favourite, the fortune-teller, peering into her crystal ball and conjuring up promises that she sensed her customers wanted to hear, as long as they crossed her palm with a princely sum of money.

It is this strange travelling troupe that I want to introduce you to now. Performers relying upon each other for companionship and support, knowing that night after night they would have to give their work every ounce of energy, smiling for the crowds that flocked to see, and retiring to their caravans and trailers long past midnight, exhausted, hungry and with ears still tingling from the cheers of their captive audience. And then of course, there were the secrets, things that were hidden from public view but secrets all the same!