Free The Tiny Ringmaster by Jennifer Clark Page B

watched Eritol and did what she could. It felt like only moments later when Eritol said it was break time again. Ruth was confused. “Eritol, where is everyone going? We just took a break.”
    “It's naptime child!”
    Ruth was extremely grateful. She couldn't wait to take a nap. She thought learning what she was supposed to do would make things easier, but now it just felt even more impossible. She couldn’t remember exactly where her room was, so she followed a few people out of the tent. Luckily, she spotted Ginger, and Ginger happily agreed to walk with her.
    The two walked in silence for a while. The halls became quieter and quieter as everyone left for their rooms.
    “Ginger?”
    “Yes dear?”
    “I'm not feeling very well.”
    “Did you eat too much at lunch? I can get you some peppermint tea.”
    “No, no. It's not that. I just. I don't think I'm cut out for this. And I'm lonely… and… and… a little scared.” Ruth swallowed her tears, and Ginger proceeded carefully.
    “What are you scared about?”
    “Not being able to help, and not being able to go home.”
    Ginger nodded. “Do you think that you're going to let us down?”
    Ruth brushed away a tear that escaped from her eye. “I don't think I'm good enough.”
    Ginger paused for a second, and Ruth almost regretted telling her. Ginger stopped walking and knelt down in front of Ruth. “Ms. Ruth, I know you're scared. But I'm going to promise you two things, and I need you to believe me. Ok?”
    “Ok?”
    “First, you will get to go home. You can't stay here; it's just not how things work. So I don't want you to be frightened about that.”
    Ruth nodded hesitantly.
    “Now for your other concern, you were chosen for this mission because you have special talents. You just found out about them, and you haven't seen them in action yet, so you're probably pretty skeptical. I don't blame you. You may not believe it or even be able to see how special you are, but you are. All you have to do is believe in yourself.” Ginger noticed the child’s eyes getting droopy. “Right now though, I need you to take a nap for me. You'll feel much better afterwards.” Ginger walked Ruth into her room, tucked her in the bed, turned off the lights, and shut the door.
     

     
    Ruth expected to wake up in her bed at home. When she awoke, she was still in a faraway land, with far away people, with plenty of work left to do. She was feeling better though. Ginger had been right about that. She heard some rustling outside her door, so she got up to see what was going on. Everyone else was awake from their naps and heading down the hall. Ruth followed. Maybe they were all heading back to practice.
    No one noticed little Ruth in the crowd, and she tried her hardest not to get run over. By the third apology, Ruth realized that everyone was in pajamas. She found this odd; she was still in her clothes. Then again, everything about this place was odd to her. They didn't take the hallway that led to the practice tent, so Ruth just followed quietly. As Ruth rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, she gasped.
    A sun room stretched with table after table of little sandwiches and small tea cups. Everyone sat and sipped in their pajamas while Lucin and the other waiters poured the tea. Each table had a stack of small sandwiches, crumpets, muffins, and other bright pastries. It reminded Ruth of tea time with her dolls.
    Ruth sat down at a table by herself. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by lots of people wanting to enjoy their tea with her. They were all very polite and sweet, but it felt a little weird to be an instant celebrity. Ruth wasn't exactly in the mood, so she zoned out while everyone chatted excitedly. She was pushing around a piece of cake on her plate with her tiny fork when she heard a commotion on the other side of her table. She stretched her neck to catch a peek. She beamed when she noticed Pepé squeezing through the crowd. “Pepé!!! Over