The Tiny Ringmaster Read Online Free PDF Page A

peculiar... They are very proper - not that you have anything to fear. They, they... they just have a low tolerance for nonsense, so we try not to waste their time.”
    Ruth nodded. The Elders sounded a lot like her grandparents. Her mom got anxious every time they came around too, so Ruth understood the fuss. Ruth heard someone clearing his throat from behind the curtain, and everyone stood up a little straighter. A bald, pudgy man, not much taller than Ruth, gingerly slid out from the side of the curtain and cleared his throat again.  A large golden mustache swallowed his face. His navy blue suit and polka dot bow tie were perfectly pressed. His eyes were mean and squinty, and his cheeks were a deep, painful red. Ruth didn’t like the looks of him.
    He walked up to Ruth and bowed deeply. “Mistress Ruth, would you be so kind as to follow me?”
    Ruth nodded and said, “Yes, sir.”
    Eritol let out a nervous sigh. The short, pudgy man glared at him. Eritol blushed deeply. The little man held the curtain back so that Ruth could walk underneath it. She waited for him to give her further instructions.
    “This way, Mistress Ruth. Please, follow me.”
    Behind the curtain, an endless hallway loomed. This hallway reminded Ruth of the hallway to the dressing room, except it was older and more refined. This hallway was filled with red and furniture that looked about a million years old. The paintings that hung looked like they had been passed down from generations and generations of great kings. Ruth noticed immediately that the dull, gold carpet was flat with almost no cushion. Every few feet, she caught a glimmer of sparkling gold on the floor. As soon as she caught the glimmer and tried to locate it, it would disappear again. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched and decided that this hallway was her least favorite.
    The pudgy man turned around exasperated. “Well, come on child! Let’s pick up the pace!”
    Ruth obliged and hurried after the quick-stepped man. She reminded herself that she should feel brave. After all, she was the great Ruth that they had all been waiting for.  “Sir, I’m sorry, but what’s the rush?” Ruth hoped this question might slow him down for a minute, but he kept the pace down the hallway.
    He began to talk over his shoulder. “The rush, my child, is that we’ve waited years for you! There is no need to waste time now that you’re here!”
    Ruth nodded in agreement, even though he couldn’t see her. Rather than slowing down, the little man sped up. Ruth was out of breath from having to hurry behind him. They began to round corners and sprint down hallways faster than she thought her legs could go. The hallways turned into a Labyrinth, winding in and out of each other. She gazed ahead at the servant man, who picked up speed at every turn, and she tried desperately to keep up. She didn’t want to lose him or she might not ever get out.
    The walls of the hallways whipped past her at an incredible speed, even though she wasn’t running. The glimmers of gold in the carpet became much more frequent. Ruth didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t like it. She began to feel motion sickness, and she was dizzy and disoriented. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, they reached the end of the hall and came to a screeching halt.
    Ruth instinctively held her arms out to prevent her from crashing into the wall. She looked around confused. She didn’t see any doorways or curtains. She tried to catch her breath. She opened her mouth to ask if they had taken a wrong turn somewhere, but the little man spoke again. “Child, why don’t you step back a little? I don’t want this door harming you.”
    She looked at him with disbelief. This man obviously spent too much time under these tents. As Ruth soaked in her surroundings, tried to locate her patience, and wondered how much longer it would be until she could hang out with Ginger and Eritol again, the