The Circus Monkey

A circus lost its ringmaster. A monkey was hired to take over. It was reasoned that the point of a circus is to entertain and earn money, though not necessarily in that order, and that since a monkey can perform tricks and is capable of making people laugh -- sometimes -- it could ease into the position.

The monkey took over with glee. The top-hat and whip were tried on eagerly, as was the tuxedo -- but not the pants. The monkey decided that pants were not necessary. They were too long and besides, it couldn't properly scratch its balls with pants on.

And so the show began. In its top-hat and whip and pant-less tux, the monkey ringmaster juggled bananas and threw peeled skins at spectators, because that was what made people laugh. It did all the monkey things it used to do, except now it was in a top-hat and pant-less and with a whip. Finally, after a long evening, it ran and tumbled across the ring before breathlessly landing on the ringmaster's pedestal in the centre, its mouth ripped open in a wide grin and its eyes wild with anticipation for the standing ovation it was sure would come.

The animals sat in the shadows, unmoving because they had not received any cues, silent and amused. And the circus held its breath and waited, for the laughs and cheers and applause one pant-less monkey with a top-hat and whip was sure would come.