Creative Writing: The Person Behind The MaskIt had all begun when he was a little boy. One year a circus had come to town. In the morning a big parade was held in main street. He could see the clownswalking around making people laugh. He would watch the clowns` faces as theywalked by. The big noses and the funny walks made him feel happy.
It was poortimes, and his father was out of work. His family couldn’t afford any materialbenefits, but each year his father collected enough money so that he could takehis son to the circus. Hand in hand they would walk to the circus, just a coupleof blocks away. He would have a big smile on his face, because it was the onlytime he would feel better than his friends.
For a whole year he would dream ofthe clowns in the circus ring. Imagine their grimace, funny walks and pranks oneach other. The tight- rope walker and the elephants were amusing, but theyweren’t the highlight. He was certain; He would be a clown when he became older. After many years, he changed town and started on a career as an accountant in abig company.
Nobody knew him better than by name, and nobody cared. He just satthere behind his desk, working, day after day, week after week. He was an every chief’s dream. But he was also a lonely man with no friends who wouldsay; “How are we today?” His colleagues envied him, so they froze him out. Hecould see the guys meet in a corner.
Whispering and giving him looks. He triedto be a pal, but they didn’t want him to. He was the average guy, with averagepay and an average apartment. But he wasn’t miserable.
Of course he’d like somefriends and a girlfriend to talk with, but since he didn’t have any, he thoughtit was the way it was supposed to be. His job was to earn money and sit behindhis desk smiling to everybody. Since nobody cared, they didn’t know about his hobby. For a few years ago, adream of his had fulfilled when he got a week to prove his ability as a clown inthe town’s circus.
He had been a great success in his evaluation period, and washired at once. Each night he would become the clown “Baltasar”. The salary waslousy, but he didn’t do it for money. Just the looks on the children’s faces wasenough for him.
In the ring he would blow a trumpet and kick the other clowns`bottom. Then he would be one of the guys. Late every evening he would returnto his home, satisfied and tired. A big smile would cover his face when he wentto sleep, knowing that everybody liked him.
The next day, he pretended as ifnothing had happened. He would sit as usual with a big smile on his face, and asusual nobody cared. Then one day one of his colleagues in the company suggested for the others thatthey would make an outing to the circus, not knowing that he was a clown there. When he realised that they weren’t going to invite him, he just said to himself;”Well, well. Perhaps another time.
. . ” The evening they were going to the show,he was supposed to be “Baltasar”. Like normal he became a great success witheverybody laughing of him, including the company’s employees.
The very next day,his colleagues were whispering behind his back as normal. But they were alsotalking about the magnificent clown they had seen at the circus. He felt veryflattered, but that didn’t help him since they didn’t know about him and’Baltasar”. A week later, the circus manager called for ‘Baltasar”.
The company,which he worked for, wanted to hire ‘Baltasar” to entertain in a party. Totallycertain of the fact that he wasn’t going to be invited, he accepted. “‘Maybethis will be my final chance to show them”, he thought to himself. At the party he started to do his usual trickery, and he became a great success.
But he didn’t dare to take his mask of, to show his colleagues. Then suddenly inan act, he lost his mask. And just as sudden they went quiet. Not a sound couldbe heard.
Everybody was staring at him, wondering if it could be the dull manfrom the office. They slowly started to realise that after all he wasn’t such aboring man. They had been mistaken and willing to give him a fresh start. Fromthat time on, his life started blooming. He became one of the guys and continuedto work in the company.
He never left his hobby- job as a clown. It was thepassion of his life….
