The Last Act

It’d been years since his last show. He’d been in the circus for most of his life, you could say they raised him from when he was a pup. Although, it wasn’t until his last show that he realized he had to leave, to escape. A life of solitude and doing the same act over and over again was draining; he hadn’t realized until now how much it took such a lasting toll on him. Even then he could still hear the soft, blurry noise of the cheers for him from the crowd. The peanuts scattering the stage and the cotton candy smell that he relished so much.

The circus closed down shortly after due to the small crowd. They were all scattered memories now, yet they still haunted him one at a time. No matter how hard he tried, Giggles wouldn’t forget.

“Get your head together, darling!” Two spots of blush gently tinted his cheeks as the long lines of black ink lie sharp against his eyelids. A wide grin plastered his lips as he gazed into the mirror. “Don’t pout, you know how childish that is.” Giggles pointed playfully into the mirror, a soft snicker leaving between his canines.

He still dressed the same, acted the same, WAS the same as he was as a younger lad. While he got squinted eyes from others passing by, he didn’t mind and only found them silly. His favorite things to wear always involved stripes; they were his number one pattern to go for in any style. Disregarding his electric blue fur, his clothes really took the old-fashioned, kooky look right home. Yet here he was, a uniform hiding most of his striped features. “Gig, get your butt in here!” came a sharp voice from outside the bathroom door. “-and stop locking the dang door!” The taps of paws echoed away from the door and Giggles only grinned. It’s what he was best at.

As Giggles straightened his subtle bow tie right below his collar, he took a moment to really look at himself through the mirror. His fur was long, eyes weak and tired below the iris, he was broken below the surface but it wasn’t like he cared. His new life began here and soon those eyes would glow with inspiration and new activity. He let out a cheeky giggle and skipped over to the door, sliding out with finesse. “Boss~!” Giggles sing-songed as his paws pushed past the kitchen doorway. A large Rottweiler stood firm and cocked his head to the side slowly.

“Giggles, you look less delusional than usual, I’m shocked.” Boss sighed, using his tongue to clean his canines. “You’ve got 10 minutes before the rush starts, get clocked in.” Boss was his name, ironic huh? He didn’t find it too funny, he was always a stiff board when it came to humor or playful schemes. He never found interest in lightening a smile or letting loose once in a while; all Boss cared about was work. Giggles knew this, but that never stopped him from dropping humorous jokes and puns beside the large dog, regardless that he’s never broken once into a smile. Rumor has it...no one’s seen him smile since he was a young pup, a stiff poker face was what got him through life. Giggles never asked, though. He found it inside himself to respect the Boss’ privacy, though it didn’t stop him from being curious.

Giggles formed a shining grin at Boss and winked. “You’ve got it, Boss! On it.” Giggles skipped over to the computer to type in the necessary information. Tonight was supposed to be a big night for Boss’ reputation for his restaurant, Late Night Temptations. The critics were coming and he couldn’t disappoint, he would do his best tonight; even if deep down he only needed something to distract himself.

As he grabbed the receipt from clocking in, he skipped over to his stand. He was a host for the night and he was excited to get the buzz started, especially for the night shift. Doing a little jig, he starts noting down which of the tables the waiters and waitresses would take. While seating customers wasn’t the most fun thing to do in the world, it always came with variety and he always had new surprises.

✿ ✿ ✿

As customers came to eat and left, the night went by quickly. Although, no one seemed to be out of the ordinary as Boss described the critic would be. As he looked around the tables, lips pursed, he heard the door softly swing open. “Excuse me?” A gentle voice rang in towards the desk.

“Welcome Madame! How many will be joining you today?” Giggles asked politely, a slight bow following from his colorful nature.

“It’ll just be me.” She smiled. She was the fluffiest Shih Tzu, a little bow holding together a bouquet of fur, a comfortable look in her eyes without an inch of judgement behind them. “That is the cutest bow tie.” She cooed, giving a small grin.

Giggles tightened the tie and picked up a menu and a wrapped bundle of silverware. “Thank ya, Ma’am. What brings you here today?” He leads her to a small table towards the back.

“Call me Marie. I just figured grabbing a bite to eat will do me some good before going to the re-opening of the circus.” She smiles cutely as she took her seat. “Have you heard? They’re going to be introducing a new act, it’s supposed to blow the minds of the crowd- as they say. It certainly has caught my attention.” A small chuckle followed her words. This made Giggles pause for a second before laying down the menu and the silverware.

“The circus is re-opening?” Giggles forced a smile, the scattered memories finding one another. “My, it’s been years.” He whispered under his breath, mostly to himself.

Marie squinted with calm suspicion. “You don’t seem too excited.” She smiled weakly, her paws softly fidgeting. “Did you have a bad experience, darling?” Giggles only let out a weak laugh, his claws clumping up the stripes that were peaking from behind his black coveralls. From looking into her sweetened eyes, he let out a sigh and looked as his co-host entered the building. He eyed the clock.

“Mind if I join you?” Giggles whispered with uncertainty. Marie smiled.

✿ ✿ ✿

“I used to love it there, it was my childhood, the only place I depended on.” Giggles whispered, his paws gently gripping his electric blue fur. “Until it wasn’t.” He held eye contact with the table, though he could feel Marie’s sad eyes comforting him.

“Did you ever go back?” Marie asked, nibbling at her meal.

This made Giggles’ eyes snap up and then swerve away. “No.” His blood boiled from the only emotions he could remember, pure solitude. It wasn’t what he wanted, it wasn’t what he needed. This made a sad smile form on Marie’s lips, she reached over to hold Giggles’ paw.

Marie took a sip of her water. “Don’t you think that’s what you need? After all these years?”

Giggles thought for a moment, he thought back to the mirror in the bathroom that reflected his younger self back at him. He truly hasn’t changed. The warm feelings he’s had about the circus have always been with him; it was only himself that held him from embracing the feelings again. Fear for loneliness is what pulls him back from visiting his old family, his old friends that he worked with for spins and flips. He missed it. “I don’t know,” was all Giggles could answer.

Marie forked through what was left of her meal and slipped the cash on the table. “Giggles,” she called softly. “Take this, won’t you?” A ticket slid over beside Giggles, a furrow of brows and a widening of eyes followed once it had been seen.

“Marie, no, I can’t.” He shook his head, feeling too vulnerable enough to even look at the ticket. It was colorful, bright hues making the text stand out. ‘Grand Re-Opening.’ He couldn’t even comprehend how easily he let all of this spill to the little dog; how could he have broken his wall? His facade? Why was she different than everyone else? He was brought out of his thoughts by Marie.

“Take it from me, darling. You can’t escape what keeps calling you back; answer it when you can. And you can, tonight.” She slid out of the chair and laid a paw on Giggles’ shoulder. “For as long as I’ve been a food critic, you’d never imagine me as someone who’s always had a dream of helping people. Let me help you this once, in my last years.” She chuckled. Giggles widened his eyes.

He turned towards her and gasped. “Marie- you’re the food critic? I’m so sorry. Please give us another cha-“

Marie picks up the ticket and hands it to Giggles directly. “I’ve never felt more at home.” A warm smile glows from her as she lingers her paw on the ticket before letting go. As she’s waddling out of the building, Giggles smiles a real smile and clutches the ticket carefully.

✿ ✿ ✿

The night was pure and black, stars sprinkled across every inch of the skyline. Circus tunes rang through the echos that traveled across the fields. A bright red and white tent stood in the middle of the bountiful spikes of grass that were wet with water drops. It was enormous, filled with a variety of animals and snacks to entertain. The sign above held the same colorful words plastered on the ticket, a grand re-opening of one of the biggest events of his time; finally it was back.

Giggles took in all of the color he recognized, brightening and freeing. The varieties of outfits and costumes amazed him, it reminded him of the odd looks he’d get from the makeup and the patterns he’s chosen to wear on a daily basis. Though as he looks at the people lined up, they all reminded him of himself, and not a single person was glaring or sneering. It gave him comfort and hope.

Giggles looked down at his outfit. He had stripped away his coveralls and now his striped collar stood out tremendously. He loved it. He loved the atmosphere, the people. As he stood behind the cold bush, he hadn’t realized how big of a grin he had on. It felt like...home.

“Giggles? Giggles is that you?” A jumpy voice sang behind him. His eyes brightened with excitement as he spun around. It was his best friend as a pup, surprisingly enough- a wolf. The wolf’s name was Johnstone, witty but caring, always made him feel hyped up for the next act. He loved getting the boost of energy he needed to do his best. “Where have you been?” Johnstone moved forward to yank Giggles into a strong hug. “You’re here.” He whispered finally.

Giggles could already feel tears smearing the ink that sharpened his eyelids, soon enough breaking him out into sobs. “Stones.” Giggles sniffled, his ears gently lying against the wolf’s shoulders. “I’m sorry.” The hug only became tighter and the two let out a sigh of relief.

“Come, the show doesn’t start for another hour. Let’s catch up.” They both move to a spot away from the music and the lines of customers. They sit and Giggles takes a moment to look at how much his friend has grown from when they last hung out. “You don’t look any different from the last time I saw you. It makes it seem like you never left.” Johnstone chuckles gruffly at the smeared ink on his eyelids. “You always loved using that stuff.”

Giggles smiled slightly as he looked past Johnstone to observe the tent. “I miss it here, Stones. I miss everything here.” This makes the wolf sadly smile at the sappy gesture, he was always a sucker for Giggles trusting him about his emotions like this. No one usually gets to hear Giggles’ short temper or his ups and downs, that’s what made them so close in the very beginning of their friendship. Johnstone missed that and seeing it again truly makes it seem like the old times.

“You know...this was supposed to be a surprise, but they were planning an act in your honor.” Johnstone patted Giggles’ head as he was stared at in shock. “The final act it was, saving the best for last.” With a head tilt, Johnstone grinned at Giggles.

“Me? Why?” A paw was lifted to tap Giggles on the cheek. Johnstone only shook his head at how dumbfounded Giggles truly looked at the thought of an act being made in his honor.

He bowed his head to meet eye-to-eye with Giggles. “The son of the ringmaster goes missing? Why wouldn’t they do something for the face of your father’s circus?” Johnstone watched as his eyes dropped slightly.

“How is my father?”

“Missing you.” Johnstone frowned and leaned back where he sat. “He talks about you everyday, your authentic nature. So unique.” He looked away to think about how sad Giggles’ father looked when he found out his son had gone missing; he was entirely off the radar. It broke his father which is why the crowds got smaller and smaller until it was too much to hold onto.

Giggles jumped up from his sitting position and stretched. “Why don’t we go in then?” Johnstone grinned and they passed the customers joyfully cheering in the line. The music was loud and overbearing, but it warmed him up in an instant from the cool, humid air outside. Cotton candy, peanuts, everything made the butterflies in his stomach flutter with excitement.

As they walked together into the back of the circus, Giggles recognized the familiar faces that stared back at him with care. He received hugs and updates which only made him feel the complete opposite of solitude or loneliness. He felt love.

That’s when he met his fathers eyes. The bright red suit and top hat to complete the ringmasters outfit. The sparkling gold rims around the seams was beautiful as he always remembered. They were then hugging, tears and all. No words were needed as his father let out a warm chuckle of relief to let him know of his empathy. “My son, you’ve returned to us.” The older poodle whispered to his son. Giggles only smiled as a tear slid down his cheek.

Johnstone leaned forward to lay a paw on Giggles’ shoulder. “That last act, the new made one for you; will you perform it? If you’d like to possibly try something new?” This made Giggles happily turn to his friend and nod in the excitement he felt before, he didn’t push it away this time, he embraced it. “Then let’s get you ready.” He whispered and lead Giggles to the choreographers and the costume room.

✿ ✿ ✿

As Giggles shined with his blue electricity flowing from his fur to the glitter of his outfit, the massive crowd boomed. Johnstone had done his classic outstanding dance routine, although with some new moves and music beats. His father was always wonderful at leading his peers into doing beautiful tricks and fascinating moves. It was impossible for him not to grab the crowds attention with his control and powerful voice- and of course with his bright red outfit that he admired.

He could hear the cheers from below the platform, it was inevitable to relish the calls and screams. Giggles missed it miserably and it made him realize how hard it was for him to stay away in fear of being in the darkness. He finally knows that there will be no more fear of being abandoned, only hope to come. Though, regardless if he returns to his home, he feels it is impossible to leave Boss behind, all of the new friends he’s made as well. They all meant so much to him and he couldn’t abandon them.

Hopefully Boss would be proud of him now, knowing why he wore his silly clothes and unique makeup. Boss was there for him even when he was having doubts, he felt comfort from him because he pushed him to do his best even when the fear tried to strike him again. He was thankful for that motivation.

As Giggles lifted onto the platform, his shining suit sprinkled him as the main attention. The spotlight focused on him and the darkness of the crowd made him feel free. As he began his routine, he closed his eyes to let go and let the music take him forward. He always was able to hook onto the choreography right away and this was no different, it only made him finally feel what he’s been missing for so long; he had been missing the free-flying feeling he first had on his first day on stage.

He had the nervousness flowing through his system but the adrenaline pushed him further and gave him the energy to do his best. Having that energy renewed, it pulled him back into the present as he danced up the steps to the swing shift. With the glitter in his fur, he spun into the air and swung onto the shift. The music controlling every move he made.

As Giggles opened his eyes, he could see his father with a proud smile. He saw Johnstone grinning up at him with support.

Giggles let go mid-air and swung back on to continue the routine. As he looked into the crowd, the spotlights were swinging up, down, and across the crowd continuously.

As he focused on one area of the seating, Giggles met eyes with two people he wouldn’t have thought would be there. Marie and Boss smile at him, and for the final hours of the night, Giggles found assurance that his days of being alone were over. The last act of the night changed many lives that night. The two with experience that finally met them with a feeling of home and happiness and the two childhood reminders that finally got their memories back. Then there was Giggles, the poodle that needed one crack in the dam that held the flood of his worries to finally follow the path back to where he truly always wanted to be.

Home.