The Radiant Rainbow slide broke through the canvasy roof of a filthy-grey tent, ripping it into shreds.
Then, the Seven Colored Beast hastily retreated into the cloudy woods which were soon tinged in navy blue.
Una and Duo touched down in a mess of human and cat body parts.
They splintered a wooden table, disintegrating a doublet of coffee cups.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" A shrill shriek was heard.
An elderly woman sat on a disjointed chair.
She resembled a gargoyle in a frou-frou dressing gown.
A plaque reading:
"CLAIRVOYANT CIRCUS CONDUCTOR"
rested on a table surface.
"Duo, what's 'clairvoyant'?" Una nudged her tomcat.
"It means, she can see..."
Hundreds of eyeballs opened at the same time.
"The future." Duo finished his line.
Amber, blue, brown, grey, green, hazel, red, and violet irises blinked at Una and Duo from the countless cupboards that surrounded them.
"I feel scanned. Scrutinized." Duo's head whirred on his bowtied neck. "I dislike being observed and in the center of attention. Stealth. Anonymity. These are my tricks of the trade."
"We... We are awfully sorry. We didn't mean to... The Radiant Rainbow granted me a wish and we..." Una began to justify their presence.
"You didn't mean to? Do you know who I am? I am the ring mistress of the Tantalizing Tent. How dare you barge in like that?"
"Una. Look." Duo paw-pointed at the object on the table. "This rounded red spheroid..."
"Duo, that's a candy apple!" Una exclaimed.
Duo wrapped around her shoulders like an expensive, two-colored scarf.
He hissed into Una's ear. "There is a red petal inside it."
"The Radiant Rainbow didn't lie, then!" Una gasped.
"It landed us right on top of the red petal container," said Duo.
"Your cat speaks!" Greedy glint glittered in gargoyle's globules.
Duo adjusted his Every Color Bow-Tie at that interruption. "The name is Duo. Wordsmith, in my spare time."
"I am the Clairvoyant Circus Conductor. Very well-spoken, you are, yes, yes. You should do well." She rubbed her palms.
"Just to clarify: you are both a Clairvoyant and a Circus Conductor? Business must be flourishing." Duo smirked.
"Do well for what?" Una asked.
The old gargoyle brought forth a moldy musty parchment and an inkwell from a portmanteau. "You are interested in my crystal ball?"
"More likely, in what's inside it," Duo clarified.
"You can have what's inside it. Sign the Compelling Contract first. It takes two to tango," she cackled.
"What do I need to sign?" Una said.
"Don't sign anything before reading it, Una. Or after," Duo said in a hushed voice. "Binding promises to others that you might not fulfill will only get you in trouble."
"I will read it for you, dearie, don't you worry about a thing," the gargoyle offered. "It says that you agree to perform in The Tantalizing Tent tonight. A girl with her talking cat. Imagine the sensationalism. That should attract a lot of visitors. Help the circus getting out of debt. Those dimwits have probably never seen a talking cat before."
YOU ARE READING
Una Morales and the Petal Guardians | ✔️
Teen FictionUna Morales's week is not going so well. To begin with, her twin sister, Paz Morales, has disappeared. To top it all off, Una is bedridden, sick with the flu and oh so dreadfully bored. She is not the only one coughing. Una's faithful young tomcat...
