Welcome all new and old mimes. Here are some rules you will need to follow on this journey of mime-hood.

To become a real and full mime:

You cannot touch any audience members
Once in an invisible box, you must stay until you or someone finds the key
You always must travel with
A hat
Never ending handkerchief rope
A smile
You mustn’t talk ever
…

The bar was musky and from the looks of it, this was no place for a mime like me. I walked and my heart pounded. I looked down to my right at a little dinner table with no inhabitants. A plump wallet layed there begging for me to take it. I looked around the rest of the bar before silently putting it in my pocket. I brushed off my pants, and I gathered my thoughts. Drifting along the booths, I looking for a vacant one. My feet stumbled on the uneven floorboards.

“Hey look!” A voice echoed through the bar.

I looked up to various parts of the dim room until I found the man yelling. He was a bold man with a riveting outfit. However, I was intrigued.

“Two mimes walk into a bar…” He pondered a bit. “I forgot the rest of the punch line.” He scratched his bald head with the brim of his baseball cap. The rest of his audience laughed.

I pointed at him. Hey, you look and sound like a clown!

“Look he doesn’t even speak!” The man spat out and sprayed the crowd with his beverage.

My finger fell. Wait… Did he say two mimes? I turned around. Sure enough. A man in black and white apparel pretended to lasso me with a rope. He pulled me near.

When I was a foot in front of him, he untied me. I shrugged and brought my hands near me and gestured at him. What do you want? He points at me and puts his hand up to his face. He brought his hand above his head and he had a smile on his face. He lowered it and he was frowning. I sat in the booth and glared at him. He held up his pointer finger to me and begun to dig in his sleeve. A red cloth appeared. He kept pulling and there was then 10 clothes all knotted together. At the end there is a sharpie attached.

The man wrote on the first cloth. He smiled and handed it to me. . “Hello, my name is Ronald T. Why are you upset?” the red fabric read.

I detached the cap from the marker. “Hello, my name is Harriet Circle. I’m fine” I handed it back to him. He quickly hands a blue cloth over next. “It’s okay to cry.” I jumped up and hit my knee on the table. I jolted my head back and opened my mouth to scream. Oh that’s right.

The bald man with the riveting outfit stammered over to our booth. “Well looky here two mimes…” He glaced to me, “You know miming is a dying business.”  

I sat down and rolled my eyes.  

“My name is Jolly, and if you two know what’s good for you…” He began to unbutton his coat. “You’d join us clowns.” His coat dropped and revealed a multi-colored shirt, red pants, and shoes about two feet long. “What do you say?”

Ronald covered his mouth, but that didn’t cover his half-laugh. I bit my lip.

“Fine!” Jolly yelled. “Get up! Let’s see who’s the real comedian here then!” He grabbed me by the suspenders and hoisted me out of the booth. “You’re going to pay!” He drew back his left arm. I readied myself for the impact.

A black glove tapped Jolly’s shoulder. He turned around and I peaked over his shoulder. A group of eight white and black striped shirts stood behind him.

“Uh…” Jolly placed me back on the ground. “He and I was just kidding.”

Ronald had began to mock Jolly behind him by putting his hands on his hips and sticking out his tongue. He then put his arm around me and we joined the rest of the mimes. We headed out the door, but before we fully left I set the weightless wallet back onto the little coffee table.

The next few weeks, the mime group and I performed together. At street venues, parks, parties, and even on the street. I dealt with the money side of things. There were ten of us, so I gave them all 5% of our earnings. Since I was the new leader of the group I gave the rest to me.

They didn’t seem to mind. Even if I didn’t tell them, I know they wouldn’t mind.

It was 10:34pm on a tuesday night. We all bundled into our meeting place. Some run down one-room apartment that Mariene W, a mime in the group, owned. I split the money while everyone else was playing cards or miming in the kitchen.

I stood up and began to make my way up to the front of the room. I snapped my fingers and everyone gathered on the couches and on the floor. I wrote everyone’s name down on the whiteboard.

Marliene-

Timothy-

Ronald

Harriet-

Janet-

Wallace-

Beli-

Erick-

Andrea-

Mathew-

I began to hand out money and then write “paid” on the board. Marliene, Timothy, Ronald, me, Janet, Wallace, Beli, Erick, Andrea, and… Mat. Wait where’s Mat? I looked around the room. I tapped on the board to gather everyone’s attention. They all looked at me. I circled Mats name. Andrea shrugged and the rest of us all looked at each other. Yikes Mat is the youngest mime. I wonder if he doesn’t come back I can get his-

Suddenly the door creaked open. Mathew stood in the door frame. His shirt was tattered, his eye was black and blue, and his lip was busted. He barely made it into the room before he vomited blood. Marliene bursted up and ran to him as he heaved over and over. The rest of the group got up and helped him to the couch. I still stood at the front of the room. Everyone was focused on Mat. I slide my hand into my back pocket, and I pulled it back out. I’ll keep Mathew’s money safe until he’s well.  I walked over to the edge of the group. They all stood around him.

Marliene gestured at him and mouth “Who?”

Mat looked at her and dug into his pants pocket. His hand revealed red plastic curly hair. Obviously from a wig. Marliene held her hand up and acted like she was putting on a fake nose. That was sign language for “Clown”. Mat Nodded. He then handed Marliene a note which I read over her shoulder. “Stay out of our part of town or else someone else will be in worse condition than he is. -Jolly”  Marliene looked up at the group as she crumpled the paper.

We continued our show the next day without Mat, Andrea, and Marliene. We barely made any money because we didn’t have a full group. Around noon I went to Marliene’s flat.

The door was open. Mat still laid on the couch fast asleep. I went into the kitchen.  Maliene and Andrea sat silently across from each other. I marched over to them and set the days earnings on the table. I stepped back and crossed my arms. Andrea looked at me and gestured “what?” I grabbed a lunch receipt out of my pocket and a pen. I turned it around and wrote on the blank side “We aren’t making any money. We need you guys to get back out there and perform.” I slid it over to them. Andrea read it and crossed her arms at me. She shook her head and scrunched her eyebrows. Marliene sat back in her chair and looked down.

Andrea gestured at her and Marliene and pointed to the ground “We are staying here.”

I took the receipt back and wrote “He will be fine, he’s sleeping. We need you more right now. Think about the whole of the group” and slid it again over to them.

Andrea looked at the note and took the pen. She slid it to me. It read “Why don’t you quit being selfish and leave.” I began to write again but behind me I heard the floorboards creak. I turned around and the whole mime group stood in the door frame. Ronald stood in front. He mouthed “What’s going on?”

Andrea grabbed the receipt and handed it to him. I stood there and waited. It took him a moment to read, but then he flipped it around.

My face dropped. They’re going to see how much money I spent on myself for lunch today.

Ronald’s face scrunched and he looked up at me. He began to march over to me. He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shoved the receipt in my face. I got shoved to the ground. He stood over me and mouthed. “Get out you rich fake mime”.

I stood up and brushed myself off and left.

It was mid afternoon. I had been mimming all day, but still I hadn’t made nearly as much as I did with the group. My “stuck in an invisible box” act wasn’t cutting it anymore. A few people gathered around. Let’s give them something good. I looked around. Oh. Nevermind. It’s just me.

A few people lingered for about ten minutes. I heard a young girl with a high and squeaky voice say, “Where’s the rest of them?” Her mom answered her, “I don’t know. Maybe we should go get some ice cream!”

The rest of my audience began to disperse, but then stopped. I looked over to what they were looking at. Ronald. He began to do the “lasso an audience member”, and the crowd went wild. I picked up my money hat. Two dollars? I sighed and started to walk away. The crowd cheered even louder for Ronald. I disappeared down an alleyway as the sun set.

I had only walked 4 blocked before I began to hear shouting, “Where’s your mime friends now!” I could distinguish Jolly’s voice in an instant. I began to run. I stepped into view of them.

“Hey, Jolly we have another visitor.” A red nosed freak belted out.

Jolly turned to face me. On the ground I noticed Erick one of the mimes from the group. “Well, lookie here.” Jolly began to turn towards me. “You better get out of here if you know what’s good for you.”

I took a step forward. I guess I don’t know.

Jolly smiled and took a step. I looked at Erick and mouthed “Run” just as I began to bolt towards Jolly. I pounced on him and took him down. Another member of the group threw me off of Jolly. I smacked my head on a dumpster, above me Jolly raised a fist “Tell your group I won’t warn them again.” He spit at me,but his knuckles hit me faster.

My eyes peeled open as a damp cloth dragged across my face. Marliene. I smiled at her and she smiled back. I put my hand up to my mouth and pulled it away towards her “Thank you”.

She shook her head and she signed “Thank you” back.

I raised my fist up to my chest and circled it clockwise “I’m sorry”.

She shook her head once more and mouthed “It’s okay.”

I looked around the room. Timothy, Ronald, Janet, Wallace, Beli, Erick, Andrea, and Mat. I signed “I’m sorry” to all of them. Erick walked up to me and handed me a note. “You saved my life. Thank you.”

I sat up and gathered him in my arms. I let him go and got off the couch. I slowly crept to the whiteboard again and wiped it off. I wrote “We need to show these clowns what we’re made of.”

I stepped out in front of my group and tapped my foot on the rubble which laid in the alleyway we stood in. The rest of my group stayed behind a corner. Out of sight.

I heard a deep grumble turn into a laugh. “Well well well.” Jolly slow clapped as he entered in the dim circle of light coming down from a nearby lamp post. “Back for more?”

He’s alone? I narrowed my eyes at him.

He took one step towards me, “You know. I was a mime once.” He stopped walking and looked me in the eyes. “I was the only one on this block. I had it all. Money, fame, glory, money…” He took a breath. “But I lost all that.” He clenched his jaw. “Because of your little group.” Clenching his fists, he began to bolt towards me.

As soon as he got within 5 feet, I whistled and stepped to the side. I watched as Jolly ran as fast as a bull just to trip in our handkerchief rope that was across the alleyway.

His elbow hit the ground. He shrieked in pain as he rolled over on the concrete. I began to feel the ground shake.

Jolly tried to sit up right his laugh bellowed out again. This time it was spine chilling.

Clowns I gestured to my group. Looks of worriment spread on their faces. I pointed at Erick and Janet to go stand by the dumpster, Timothy and Beli by the entrance, and Wallace by the lamp post. I gestured the “Okay?” sign at Mathew and he nodded and stood tall. I smiled and pointed for him to go stand by Wallace. I looked at Andrea, then at Marliene, and then at Ronald. I smiled at all of them, but the ground became unsteady. They’re here.

Ronald got into a running position in front, then Andrea and Marliene in the middle, I hung out behind to help.

Chanting filled the tight alley. I saw Andrea quiver, so I place my hand on her for reassurance.

Shadows of bushy hair, big noses, and feet the size of four eggplants trekked into sight. The clowns followed closely behind. One came around the corner. As if an instinct all of the mimes began to run. Marliene, Timothy, Ronald, Janet, Wallace, Beli, Erick, Andrea, and Mathew.

I barely took one step before my collar was yanked, and I fell to the ground. Jolly stood above me. “Know your place will never change.” He drew his left heel back and released. Rubble, broken glass, and dirt rained on me while I gasped for air. He turned around and headed to Andrea who was psyching a clown out by being in an invisible box.

No! I jolted up and pain struck through me like lightning. I ran, and when I got close enough to touch him, I pounced. Nothing else mattered to me. I am taking this clown down.

Three swift jabs to the face, and Jolly couldn’t stand. His ankle was twisted in several different ways. I could hear squeals, but I could not turn away. Until something changed. It was quiet. I turned around and all of the other mimes stood proud. Andrea’s hair had a knot the size of a clown nose, Mat was limping, and Ronald held him up. Ronald looked at me and gave me a smile, and I gave one back. Marliene had tears in her eyes, but she smiled.  Everyone else was either being carried or carrying someone.

A small cough erupted from behind me. The dust began to settle back on Jolly. He must’ve woken up.

I crept up to the fallen Jolly. His mouth was bleeding and his face was bruised. My group and I stood above him. I stepped forward and opened my mouth,

“Maybe next time you should mime your own business.” I said.

If any rules are broken, then the given mime is dismissed of all duties, and he/she may never join the mime-hood again.

Signed the founders,

Jolly Aberworth

Marliene Endure

Ronald Trickman