Karen's Big Top

“Bravo!” called Daddy. “I hope this means you had a good time at circus camp.”

  “It was the greatest!” I said.

  “Come tell us all about it at dinner,” said Elizabeth.

  We were having ravioli, salad, and bread. Between bites, I told my big-house family all about my day at camp. I did not leave one thing out.

  Then I called Mommy and Seth. I told the whole story over again.

  When I hung up, Kristy was waiting for me.

  “Karen, will you come up to my room for a minute?” she whispered. “We need to have a meeting.”

  Charlie, Sam, David Michael, and Andrew were already there. (Emily Michelle was not there. She is still too little for important meetings.)

  “I thought it would be good to toss around some ideas for Nannie’s birthday celebration,” said Kristy. “Does anyone have any suggestions?”

  “I have an idea,” said David Michael. “We could put on a show for Nannie.” (David Michael was a Winkie in The Wizard of Oz. He loves putting on shows.)

  “That’s a nice idea,” said Charlie. “But we’re all so busy this summer. I don’t think we would have time to rehearse.”

  “How about taking Nannie out shopping?” said Sam. “We could buy her anything she wants.”

  “You know Nannie,” said Kristy. “She’ll tell us she doesn’t need anything.”

  “Why don’t we give her a big party. It could even be a surprise party!” I said.

  “That’s a great idea, Karen,” said Kristy. “That will make Nannie feel really special.”

  “And it is something we can all do together,” said Charlie. “Each of us will have a different job. Even Emily Michelle can help.”

  “Maybe we’d better see what Daddy and Elizabeth think first,” I suggested.

  “I’ll go find them,” said Kristy.

  She brought Daddy and Elizabeth back to the room. We told them our idea.

  “That sounds like a wonderful plan,” said Elizabeth. “I think Nannie will love it.”

  “I agree,” said Daddy. “We’ll have to be very careful about keeping the secret. Do you all think you can do it?”

  I could tell Daddy was looking my way. Sometimes I am not very good with secrets. I get excited and blurt them out.

  “I will be very careful and keep the secret,” I promised.

  “Me too,” said David Michael.

  We all took turns promising to keep Nannie’s surprise party secret.

  “I will not tell. I will not tell,” I said to Moosie when I got into bed.

  When I fell asleep, I dreamed it was Nannie’s birthday. She was very happy with her surprise. The party was at the B. F. Willie Big Top. Nannie took a turn walking the high wire. She jumped up and twirled in the air.

  Way to go, Nannie!

  The Flying Trapeze

  On Wednesday morning I said good-bye to Hannie and Nancy and went to find my group. Every day we learn something new at circus camp. I wondered what we would be learning today.

  “Over here,” called Jimmy. He was at the trampoline.

  “Wow! I love the trampoline,” I said.

  “I thought you might say that,” said Jimmy, laughing.

  “Hi, Karen,” said Jillian. “I am going to be one of the spotters today.”

  “I hope you will not have to catch me,” I said.

  “I am sure I will not have to. I have been watching you. You are very good at everything,” said Jillian.

  I really was good on the trampoline. I bounced way up in the air. Then Jimmy helped me do a forward somersault.

  When it was time for lunch, I invited Jillian to join the Three Musketeers.

  “Thanks,” said Jillian. “I’ll go get my sandwich and come right back.”

  We sat on a bench outside. While we were eating, I asked Jillian some of my questions.

  “How do you go to school if you are traveling all the time?” I asked.

  “I have a tutor. We study a few hours in the morning and again in the afternoon,” said Jillian.

  “That is neat. I wish I had my own personal tutor. We have one teacher for a whole class of kids,” I said.

  “We’re in the same class at school,” said Hannie.

  “You’re lucky. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in one place and go to a real school like other kids,” said Jillian.

  “Do you get to play with the elephants much?” asked Nancy.

  “Sure, I play with them. But I have to take care of them too. I feed and clean and exercise all the animals,” said Jillian.

  Having so many animals sounded like fun.

  “I only have my one rat,” I said.

  “But it is your very own. I have to share the animals with everyone in the circus,” said Jillian.

  After lunch, we went back to our groups.

  “Mr. Willie is going to give us a lesson on the trapeze this afternoon,” said Jimmy. “But do not worry. You will be wearing safety harnesses, so you cannot fall.”

  Jimmy looked at me. “Aren’t you going to say something?” he asked.

  “Oh, right. I almost forgot. I love the trapeze!” I shouted.

  When my turn came, Jimmy put the harness around my waist. I climbed up a ladder and stepped out onto a platform. Mr. Willie was there waiting for me. He hooked ropes to the harness. Then he helped me grab the swing. I hung on and went sailing through the air like a bird.

  “Hello down there,” I called. But I knew no one could hear me.

  On Thursday, we had acrobatics in the morning, and juggling in the afternoon. I love acrobatics! I love juggling!

  Jillian helped our group both times. And she had lunch again with the Three Musketeers.

  Jillian was nice. She answered all my questions about being in a traveling circus. And I answered her questions about life in Stoneybrook.

  Guess whose life sounded more exciting.

  Karen Brewer, Circus Star

  “Good morning, circus performers,” said Mr. Willie. “Welcome to the last day of your first week. You have all been doing a great job so far.”

  It was Friday. I could not believe our first week was almost over. Circus camp was going too fast.

  “Now that you have had a taste of circus life, I want to tell you our plan for the rest of the month,” said Mr. Willie. “For the next two weeks, you will continue working on your circus skills. I would like you to think about the one thing you like the best. You will be asked to practice only that thing the last week you are here. On the Saturday after camp ends, you will put on your own circus show for your families.”

  I was going to be in a circus! Of course I would be the star. I could see the banner now:

  The B. F. Willie Big Top

  presents

  KAREN BREWER, CIRCUS STAR

  Everyone would come to see me. Mommy and Seth and my whole big-house family. (I was sure Emily Junior would want to come. I wondered if they would let a pet rat into the circus.)

  Now, what would I do at the circus. Fly on the trapeze? Be a funny clown? Ride bareback on my beautiful horse?

  I could not decide. All I knew was that I would be wearing a costume that was very sparkly and spangly. And it would have a great big feather.

  “Karen! Earth to Karen!” called Jimmy.

  My group was way over at the other side of the tent. It looked like Hannie and Nancy’s group was there too.

  “Coming!” I called.

  I ran over to see what we were going to do. I did not want to miss a minute of my circus training.

  “You are going to be the first two groups to learn about making costumes,” said Jimmy.

  “Yipee!” I cried.

  “I am glad the Three Musketeers can make costumes together,” said Nancy.

  “Laura and I will show you a few of the costumes that we use. Then we will get your ideas for the kinds of costumes you would like to see,” said Jimmy.

  “Here is the costume that the sword swallower wears,” said Laura.

&nbs
p; “Ooh, it is dangly and spangly!” I said.

  The pants were red with gold fringes dangling down from the sides. There was a white shirt with ruffles all the way down the front. And there was a spangly vest with sequins and tassels all over it.

  “This is what the jugglers wear,” said Jimmy.

  The tops were red and silky. The bottoms were black satin with velvet trim.

  We saw many beautiful costumes. Then Jimmy asked for our ideas.

  “If I were the sword swallower, I would want to wear a red cape,” said Ricky.

  “That sounds good,” said Laura. “I would like you and all the boys to buy or make capes and bring them to our third week of camp.”

  “What about feathers?” I asked. “These costumes really should have feathers, you know.”

  “I think you are right, Karen. Feathers would be perfect,” said Jimmy. “It would be great if you could bring some in. We would also like each of the girls to bring in a leotard.”

  “You will each make the costume you are going to wear when you perform for your families,” said Laura.

  Feathers. Leotard. Oh, yes. Some sparkly sequins, too.

  I was going to be a gigundoly beautiful circus star.

  The Bowling Party

  It was Sunday morning. I was in the yard teaching Andrew how to tumble.

  “One, two, three, over!” I said.

  Andrew rolled over on his side like a bug.

  “Like that?” asked Andrew.

  “I think we’d better try it again,” I replied.

  Just then Kristy poked her head out the door.

  “Important meeting,” she said. “My room.”

  Andrew and I followed Kristy upstairs. David Michael, Sam, and Charlie were already there.

  “We have to make some decisions today,” said Kristy. “We need to decide what to buy, what to serve, and who to invite. You give me your ideas. I will write them down.”

  Here is what went on Kristy’s list:

  Decorations: streamers, balloons, confetti

  Presents: sweater, book, movie tickets

  Food: pizza, green salad, soda, juice, birthday cake

  Guests: Elizabeth, Watson, Emily Michelle, all of us, Nannie’s friends (get list from Elizabeth)

  “Now comes the hard part,” said Kristy. “How will we surprise Nannie?”

  Andrew raised his hand.

  “We could tell Nannie to get dressed up and meet us in the living room,” he said.

  “I think we will have to be a little trickier,” said Charlie.

  “I have a tricky idea,” I said. “I will have Hannie call me on the phone. I will say things like ‘Oh, no!’ and ‘It cannot be!’ Then I will tell Nannie that one of the circus elephants got loose. I will ask her to help me find it. Nannie will take me out riding in the neighborhood and …”

  “I think that may be a little too tricky,” said Sam.

  “I will tell Nannie I cannot get my fingers out of her bowling ball. We will have to go to the doctor to get me unstuck,” said David Michael.

  “Hmm. That gives me an idea,” said Kristy. “Nannie loves her bowling team. They should be part of our surprise.”

  “Maybe they could take her out to dinner for her birthday. They can bring her to the bowling alley afterward for a birthday bowling game. And we will be waiting there to surprise her!” I said.

  (I tried to talk very quietly. I did not want to let Nannie hear our secret plans.)

  “Hey, that’s not bad. Do you really think we could have our party at the bowling alley?” said Sam.

  “Why not?” replied Charlie. “After we have eaten and Nannie has opened her presents, everyone can bowl.”

  “It’s a great idea,” said Kristy. “I cannot think of anything Nannie would like better than a bowling party.”

  We decided to call the bowling alley to see how much it would cost to have the party there. We would have to ask Daddy and Elizabeth if they would pay for that part of the party.

  “I’ll call one of Nannie’s teammates,” said Kristy. “I am sure her friends will want to be part of the surprise.”

  “This plan is great. When the Brewer-Thomas kids need to get something done, watch out!” I said.

  “Please just watch out that you don’t give away the secret,” said Charlie.

  “You do not have to worry about me,” I said.

  I closed my mouth and pulled my fingers across my lips. Then I made believe I was throwing away a key.

  I wanted everyone to see that my lips were sealed.

  Lulu

  “Honk, honk!” I squeezed my red rubber clown nose.

  It was fun to be a clown! It was my new favorite thing to be at the circus.

  It was Wednesday. It was my second week at camp.

  On Monday, my favorite thing was the flying trapeze. I can do stunts.

  On Tuesday my favorite thing was the trampoline. I can twirl in the air.

  “Karen, do you want to help me take care of the animals today? Grandpa said it would be okay,” said Jillian.

  “Sure,” I said. “What should we do first?”

  I was ready for anything. Taming lions. Swinging from an elephant’s trunk. I could be a world-famous animal trainer.

  “Let’s clean the elephant stalls first,” said Jillian.

  “Yuck. Maybe I should help you later,” I said.

  “Come on, Karen,” said Jillian. “It’s not so bad.”

  It was pretty bad at first. Mostly it was smelly. But I got used to it. When we finished, the elephants looked very grateful. (Their names were Henry, Sophie, and Lilly. They are gigundoly graceful dancers.)

  “Now Monty gets a bath,” said Jillian.

  Monty is a white poodle. He jumps through hoops. Sometimes he rolls in mud. Then he is a gray poodle.

  We put Monty in a tub of warm water. I put on the shampoo. I was careful not to get any near his eyes.

  “We need towels,” said Jillian. “I will be right back.”

  I was rubbing shampoo into Monty’s coat when Natalie passed by. She had on a clown nose. Honk! Honk!

  Monty thought it was a toy. He jumped out of the tub. He ran after Natalie. Natalie ran the other way.

  “Monty, come back here!” I cried. He kept running.

  “Monty,” called Jillian. Monty looked her way.

  Jillian lifted her arm straight up in the air. Monty dropped down to the ground and did not move.

  “Wow. Monty knows sign language,” I said.

  “I did the sign for down. I can teach you the signs. Then Monty will obey you, too,” said Jillian.

  We finished Monty’s bath. Then we put him in his crate to rest. He liked his crate. It was cozy. He had a rug, toys, and fresh water in case he got thirsty.

  Jillian looked at her watch.

  “I guess you will not get to groom Lulu today. It is almost time to go home,” she said.

  Lulu was the white pony Jillian rode in the circus show. I wanted to groom her. I wanted to ride her!

  “Hi, Karen,” said Hannie. “My mom called Mr. Willie to say she was going to pick us up a little late.”

  “Hmm. I have an idea,” said Jillian. “I just have to ask Grandpa if it is okay.”

  In a little while, Jillian came back. Jimmy was with her. By then, all the other kids had gone home.

  “Okay,” said Jillian, smiling. “Who wants to ride first?”

  “Ride? We are going to ride Lulu?” I cried.

  Lulu jumped back a few steps.

  “It is a good idea not to shout in Lulu’s ear. She gets a little spooked,” said Jimmy.

  “Sorry,” I whispered to Lulu. I patted her nose.

  “Karen, you can go first since you helped with the animals today,” said Jimmy. “Come on. I will help you up.”

  Jimmy cupped his hands. I stepped up and climbed onto Lulu’s back. Jillian held the reins and led me around the circus ring. Then she let go.

  “How does it feel to be a bareback rider at th
e circus?” called Jimmy.

  “It is the greatest!” I said.

  I smiled and waved to my adoring fans.

  Eavesdropping

  “What could we do that would be fun, Moosie?” I asked.

  Moosie did not answer. He was taking a cat nap.

  It was Friday night at the big house. I had nothing to do. And there was no one to do nothing with.

  Kristy was baby-sitting. Sam and Charlie were out with their friends. David Michael would not look up from the book he was reading.

  Maybe I will go catch fireflies in the yard, I thought. That will be fun.

  I looked out the window. Boo and bullfrogs. It was raining.

  I got another idea right away. It would be breaking a big-house rule. The rule is: No spying allowed. But spying is so much fun. I decided to break the rule. Just this once.

  Who could I spy on? Emily Michelle was asleep. Daddy and Elizabeth were paying bills. Nannie was …

  Hey, where was Nannie? I walked down the hall to see if Nannie was in her room.

  Ring. Ring. It was Nannie’s phone. I wondered if she was there.

  “Hello,” I heard Nannie say.

  Goody. I can eavesdrop. I could not remember if there was a rule about eaves-dropping. I was sure there was. Eavesdropping was spying, only with your ears. But I was going to do it just this once …

  “I hear Gracie has a terrible cold,” said Nannie. “I told her to drink plenty of juice and take vitamin C.”

  Ho hum. This was not a very exciting conversation. I waited for Nannie to say something else. She didn’t for the longest time. I guess the other person was talking a lot.

  “Yes, my birthday is coming up soon,” said Nannie.

  Here we go! Something interesting. I pressed my ear to the door. I did not want to miss a word.

  “I don’t know if my family has anything planned. They haven’t said so. I certainly hope they are not thinking of giving me a surprise party. I do not like surprises. I do not like being the center of attention. I would never know how to act if someone yelled ‘surprise’ at me. That would be awful,” said Nannie.

  Did she say awful? Uh-oh. My stomach did a flip-flop. I stepped back from the door. I had to do something. I had to tell someone.