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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Police (10/12/06)
Grace Freelove explained to her three year old twins three times on the way to the circus the importance of staying near her. “Okay, Mommy!” Patricia cried. “We unnerstand!”

The music boomed and girls with long feathers on their heads were riding elephants around the three rings. Clowns were riding unicycles and honking plastic horns. The children were in awe of the ladies with the long feathers and sparkling outfits.

“Can I ride the elnaphant with the blue feathzers girl, Mommy?” Grace didn’t hear Patricia plead. Neither did she hear Jonathan cry “I want to ride with the jellow one!”

Several men began pulling nets into the rings. They were about to start the acrobatic routines, Grace’s favorite part of the circus. She said to her children, “Oh, watch the ...” and looked down to find them gone! “Jonathan? Patricia? Oh my God, my children!”

She asked the people sitting near her “Have you seen my children?” They answered negatively and gave the impression that they were aggravated with her for distracting them from the show. She began running through the crowd, screaming franticly, “Jonathan! Patricia! Somebody help me! I can’t find my children!”

From his uniform, it was obvious that the man standing with his back to her at the edge of the ring was a police officer. Running toward him, she yelled, “Officer! Please help me! My twins are missing!”

The officer turned so that Grace saw purple-painted tear drops on his cheeks. Grace fell to her knees. “Please, they’re just babies!” The clown in the police uniform blew his whistle and acrobats somersaulted through the air. The noise from the crowd was so loud that her weeping went unheard.

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” came a gentle voice and a tap on Grace’s shoulder. “Please back away from the ringside.” Grace looked up at a sad-faced, female clown.

“Please help me. My twins are missing.” Grace sobbed, “Please help me.”

The gentle clown smiled through the painted on frown. “Little girl and boy about so high?” she asked, holding out her hand.

“Yes! You saw them?” Grace stood up quickly, her hope returning to her.

“They’re with my brother” she said, pointing “getting some cotton candy and having the director announce that they’re missing their parents.”

Grace ran to her children, scooping them up and crying, “Oh, thank you, Sir, for taking care of them!” The clown turned to see who the twins belong to and his painted on smile quickly turned to a frown.

“Lady, how could you let these small children out of your sight?” Beneath all the make-up, deep lines shown between his brows. “Anyone could have taken them! You’re just fortunate I’m the one who found them!”

Grace chose to ignore his sternness. The twins were staring at their mother, concern for the tears that were still rolling down her face. “Where were you? I told you not to leave my sight!”

“We’re sorry, Mommy.” Jonathan began to cry.

Patricia explained, “We goed to ride the elnaphants wif them feathzer ladies. They said we had to ask ours Mommy, but you wasn’t there no more. We was crying and the cwown helpeded us.”

Grace turned a red face to the clown. “Sir, I’m sorry. How can I ever repay you?”

“Watching your children a little closer is payment enough.” He stretched out an oversized, plastic hand for Grace to shake. The genuine smile beneath the painted smile barely changed what seemed to be frown lines of old. “I’m sorry about my sternness, Ma’am. My name is Officer Jaime Merle. This is my weekend job. I work with abducted children and I can’t help but get upset when things like this happen.”

Grace felt silly shaking the plastic hand. Suddenly, the clown yelled “God bless you and your children!” and ran out into the ring. The police officer clown chased him with a rubber night stick, red and blue lights flashing in his shoes and alarms resounding through the loud speaker.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The guest speaker waved an oversized, plastic hand at the congregation. “Hello. My name is Amy. My twin brother’s name is Jaime. When we were three, ... So you see, we’re all Kingdom police. It is our responsibility in following Christ to go into the world and seek that which is lost.”
© 2006
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Donna Haug
10/20/06
I've had this happen at the Toronto Home Show. It was TERRIFYING. I could identify!! The ending seemed to be a bit tacked on, but I did like the idea that the story obvious was repeated often to the children as they grew up and the positive influence that had on their lives.
Peggy Bennitt
10/22/06
Good imagery and great story idea. I got a little lost trying to follow the part where the children actually come up missing, but I liked the story and the policeman as a clown. I'm not sure that the last paragraph enhanced the story. I like it better without. Good effort.