The Jester and The Harlequin

       

       Once upon a time, there was a fair kingdom. But in this tale we do not draw attention to a valiant knight, nor a slumbering princess awaiting her hero's kiss. Our story is centered around a Jester, the fool of the court, and a Harlequin, a lady of comedy herself. They thought only of gags, laughter, jokes, pranks, and other means of entertainment for those around them.

        The two were never taken seriously, and only summoned when needed. They were not thought highly of, they were not of importance unless entertaining, and their lives were, in every sense....a joke. Each day they would paint their smiles and appear to the public to perform. Their purpose was solely to cause laughter, to inspire joy to those who had none, and then to be pushed away when their services were no longer necessary.

        But what no one realized was that the Jester and the Harlequin were people too. With thoughts...and feelings. When you spend your life in servitide to others, to be the constant smiling, laughing spirit of joy...you have little time to yourself, and even less joy of your own. Your emotions belong to you no longer, because you have none. You know only the smell of the thick face paint, the jingling of the bells, and the demand of laughter in your ears. You are owned, and if you fail to please...it's as if you don't exist anymore.

        The Jester and the Harlequin did not know each other. They had never seen the other's face, never heard the other's voice. They went each day believing theyw ere the only spirits of comedy in the kingdom. In such a vast castle, it was quite possible to never see someone, to never even know they exist!

        After yet another harsh day of performing an act, the Jester wandered off to a secluded area in the castle's courtyard. It was barely evening and the sun was beginning to set, a pale orange glow illuminating the sky. Sighing, he sat down beneath a large oak tree. He reached into the pocket of his bright red tunic, pulling out three small balls, and began to juggle them to amuse himself. After a few moments of doing this, he noticed the sudden absence of one of the balls, and stopped. Blinking, he looked to his left, then to his right, and then up.

        Above him, on a low branch, was the Harlequin. She smiled, holding up the ball. The Jester, still somewhat shocked, just smiled. "I believe you have something of mine, my lady," he said, still staring up at her.

        She grinned. "So it appears," she replied, and tucked the ball into a pocket of her own tunic, adorned brightly with purple and green.

        "Am I allowed to have it back?" The Jester asked, tilting his head slightly so that a quiet jingle was heard from the bells of his cap.

        "Maybe," the Harlequin smiled mischeviously, leaning her head down over the branch. "If you can catch me."  And with that she jumped from the branch and began running, her bells giving a tinkling sound through the air.

        The Jester blinked again before smiling and jumping to his feet, taking off in a sprint after the Harlequin. He could hear her laughter in the distance, the tinkling of her bells,  but he could not see her. He entered a small wooded area, just at the boundaries of the courtyard. The sun had set further, the sky a pale royal blue. He could hear her giggle to the left, and turned, but could not find her still.

         He stopped and scratched his head through his cap, then felt something go thud against his shoulder. He turned to see the Harlequin grinning, her hands folded behind her back. She was the only other smiling face he'd seen before, and he to her. A smile that was not fake, but...genuine, real, and sincere.

        "Where is it that you hail from, sir?" She said, tilting her head slightly so that a long curl of red hair brushed past her shoulder from beneath her cap. The Jester smiled.

        "Why, from this very kingdom. Where are you from?" He asked her in return.

        She smiled back at him, letting out a small laugh. "I am from here as well. How pecuilar it is that we have never met, don't you think?"

        Pecuilar it was, indeed. The Jester and The Harleuin began spending every day together after they met. How odd it was that two people who felt so much passion about the same things in their lives had never met, never even crossed paths before. They were instantly drawn together; a spark of light in absolute darkness. They had spent their whole lives feeling as if they were the only ones forced to smile for others, to be the laughing fool, to entertain, to make joyous when there was no joy.

        And now, they were brought together...two kindred spirits who knew what it was like to paint a smile over your tears. To continue laughing when all you want to do is cry, or scream, or do nothing at all. They knew what it was like to be puppet's for a sick master, yet continued to make the best of it.

        Locking their fingers together, as they looked into each other's faces they saw not the makeup, not the painted smiles, not the fake laughter or the bawdy jokes. Not the talent for comedy in the worst situations, not the used-up, hollow cores they thought were incapable of healing. But they saw love and passion for life, and a smile they secretly shared.

        A real smile.

by Asuka_Engel (Viewed 322 times)

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