The village fool

Walking the hallway, I count my steps in fours, shoulders bouncing to the rhythm of my polished shoes on the tiles. I see my colleagues, smile lines spiderweb their faces, an expression of stress drawn from a life of loving deeply. I adopt my most charming smile and offer a low, overexaggerated bow, the web disappearing for just a moment to reveal a childish rouge and a shine to their eyes, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

“You’re an idiot” - All my colleagues.

From a young age I knew how to bring a smile to the face of a friend, how to dry up the tears of the heartbroken, make the world giggle, to ooh, to aah, to take people on a journey, to explore their wanderlust. For someone like me, there's no price too great to put a smile on a dial, or hear the laugh of a child…

I wander the halls and rehearse an undefined character, preparing for the performance of a lifetime. A dream of donning the bright colours of a travelling performer and visiting the communities of medieval villages, lighting up a tavern, or occupying a bustling street corner to joke, drink, give gifts to the children and curate an experience that will last their lifetime.

The intelligible fool come to bring joy to the poor, mock the rich and get paid pennies for the gift! I would fumble, stumble, sing while they grumble, glow with pride when they’d gasp at a tumble! Tell jokes or a story, sing a song if it’s boring. Dumbfound folk with magic, show off tricks with my gadgets. Stoke the flame for some comfort, if life gets too tragic.

During nights on the road, I’d write a new ode and perform to my family, the one that I chose. The one I was given stays close to my heart and is thrilled when they hear of a song of my art.

The campfire would crackle, send sparks in the air, even in the wild we would not despair. For the songs that we share would bring life to the dead, or even cool an angry head. We’d have food to spare and a tent to share because we are no strangers to the wear and the tear. My brothers would play and my sisters would sing and the stars would all dance and together they’d bring, a new life to the forest.

And after they leave, their spirit would linger through the whispers of wind and the hush of leaves.

I still feel the pull of that life on the road, even today I wish to travel the globe, to bring smiles to the masses and help them forget life for a while. It can be tough to find a modern day stage, when every performance is met with a red tape barricade. But if there’s one thing that’s certain it’s that bringing love and games runs deep in my veins; when I bring a smile to a face, something just feels right, and those times to myself are oh so important, the times alone where I create and be weird - dancing and singing by the light of a fire and concocting ideas to lift others higher. With no one around, just myself and the ground, my life is my own to prepare for a crowd.

But for now I’m content with the life that I have, a chance to be a part of little lives all the time.

I breathe, fall into character and enter the room to my whiteboard, an organised array of desks and the eyes of 24 expectant 6 year olds.

“Good morning Mister Pakes!”