A Curious Craving for Ice cream

“A Curious Craving for Ice cream”, word count 762


"It was on a bright, starry night that the traveling circus rolled into town."
I spotted them from my bedroom window. The circus trucks and vans, through starry twinkle, passed my house on the way to the abandoned strip mall parking lot across the street. By moonlight, excitement building, I watched animals unloaded, tent poles erected, and canvass stretched by road worn men. The ticket booth, quickly assembled, starred back at me. The grand stand, an erector set construction, called my name, saving me a place. With my chin resting on the window sill, I noticed my eyes growing heavy as I watched the preparations, dreaming of the show I would soon see.

I sat in rickety stands awaiting the first act. When it began, a crowned princess clown stepped onto the ringed stage, her name Gladiola. She was tall, regal, wearing bright, vertically striped pants with a royal blue tuxedo jacket. Gladiola’s long curly red locks swayed with momentum as she paused slightly, gazing upon the crowd, mesmerized. With white face poised and a delicate ruby heart painted on pursed lips, her lean body stepped into action. High silver spike heels and accordion polka music danced Gladiola the clown across the stage.

With hand to head, she made a grand search. With a circular motion across her belly, showing a terrible hunger, Gladiola the clown looked for a tasty snack. Strolling her way to a popcorn stand, a hot dog vendor, and lemonade seller, she had a mimed fast food feast. In spite of the junk food gluttony, the red headed clown was still hungry. Finally, to her satisfaction, she discovered an ice cream booth and ordered a cone with a large spherical scoop of ice cream. Pure bliss over came Gladiola’s face with each enticing lick of the creamy treat. With a twist of her tongue, the silly clown encircled the huge ice cream globe. As her pleasure heightened, an unfortunate bit of trouble hit. Licking ever more aggressively, Gladiola the clown licked so hard that she knocked the enormous ice cream ball clean off its cone, thudding as it hit the floor. Shocked and stunned, miming all the way, through silent shrieks, Gladiola lamented her ice cream’s fall. She paced and mutely ranted, stomping in those fancy silver shoes until Gladiola came too close to the ice cream ball. Miraculously, one silver spike high heel speared the ice cream ball right through its core, becoming stuck on the heel. Astonished, Gladiola tried to flick the ice cream off her shoe. She hopped, kicked, shook, flung, and spun but the ice cream ball held fast and would not let loose of her heel.

With polka music mirroring the tragedy, Gladiola, finally collected herself by stopping for a quick study of her predicament. The silly clown took off her shoe, held it up high, contemplating the stuck ice cream. Gladiola remembered how much she wanted that mouth watering ice cream. She sadly noticed some long hairs and bits of debris sticking to its sides. With exaggerated gesture, the clown pulled off the hair, wiped off the dust, and shed a tear over the loss of her ice cream globe. However, in an instant, all of a sudden, raising a knowing finger, she emphatically suggested a silent idea. Gladiola looked around, wondering if anyone would notice. She looked longingly at the fanciful ice cream ball on the silver high heel spike. Would it be terrible to have one more taste?...one more sweep of the tongue?... one more lasting lick? And with a surge forward, swaying to the music, the clown took a giant lick all the way around the spike heel and returned to paradise. With one shoe on and one shoe off, Gladiola, the silly clown, unevenly plodded off stage eating her speared ice cream ball right off her shoe…...delicious

I noticed drool pooling, as it dripped from the corner of my mouth on the window sill. With my neck stiff because of the odd angle, I opened my eyes to see the sun lightening the sky beyond the circus tent across the street. I rubbed my eyes to be sure of what I was seeing; it really was a newly erected circus tent, set up through the night. Then hazily, I started to recall bits and pieces of a dream, accordion music, a silly red headed clown, and ice cream. Yes, I had a curious craving for ice cream, but didn’t know why. Maybe I could find some at the circus.