Devonne Brown

“You’re squeezing the life out of my ankle, look at the bruise on that thing, look at it, and you have balls to tell me I’m half a bubble off? Jake, go eat some protein,” said Mamie.

“You always tell me to eat protein when you think I’m being stupid. You were screeching instead of singing today, Mamie,” 

“Jake, you lost your grip. You need to work out more. If you’re not holding my ankle right, it’s going to hurt, and I’m going to screech. Consume more protein, workout harder. Be stronger for me, my big teddy weddy bear.” When she started the baby talk, Jake melted. 

Jake would show her his loyalty to the circus right now, this very minute. He pulled out a protein shake from the fridge, two steaks from the freezer, and the grip master. He popped the top off the protein shake and it went down smooth. Twelve ounces of liquid velvet fortified protein calories rushed to the muscles in his arms and legs. Jake could hold Mamie’s ankle while she crooned to the masses anywhere at any time. Tomorrow, they’d be on the Good Ship Lollipop in the middle of Marshmallow Mediterranean, his new effortless strength would be evident there. Mamie would be most pleased. He sent the steaks to the captain’s quarters for perfect extra protein preparation. They must all be strong.

“Jake stop. Just stop. You’re trying too hard. I don’t want to be the oracle on top of the mountain with the magic words anymore. Nobody understands oracles anyway. The words don’t make sense until somebody dies or after a catastrophe happens.”

“Mamie, you have to. Nobody else knows the words.”

“Jake, I don’t know the words. Nobody knows the words until you put me in the air and I start singing them. So anybody could do it. What if I hold you up. You sing.”

“You can’t hold me, I’m too heavy for you.”

“Sit on my hands, I’ll support you with my elbows, wait for the words to come that way. It’ll be just the same. Promise. I’ll hold my hands up. You sit down on them with the banjo. When the wind blows, you start playing and singing. You’ll have your prophecy. Cross my heart,” said Mamie

“OK. We’ll try,” 

“OK…There’s the train whistle. When it passes, get ready to sing the meaning of life and where the world is going just sing the words on the cars. Then when the train passes, summarize it. By the way, your hair turns white.”