Chapter 4: Success ... or Not?

      

  I plummeted head-first towards the ground. I had to come up with something to do before it was too late! Then, I flipped so that I could land on my feet. I came down with sudden shock on my rear paws. Ignoring my tingling legs, I sprang off the ground and shot in the air towards the trapeze. I sucked in my breath. I sailed over the stage, and landed straight on the trapeze platform. It wobbled and teetered. I tried to soothe my violent jitters. I began pushing and rocking, starting the trapeze. Then, I flew over the audience, clinging tightly to the ropes. My ears whisked back in the whizzing air currents. Now was my only chance. As the trapeze swung back, I leapt straight off of the trapeze and landed on my front paws. My ears tried to block the sounds of the pounding paws of everyone else, performing vaults on the high beam.

           Reaching behind me, I stretched my body and let go, performing a perfect back flip. I felt myself gaining speed, until I was accelerating uncontrollably. Pressing hard, I slammed my feet into the wood, and felt myself rocketing and spinning through the air. The audience cheered wildly. I balanced myself on one claw, and began spinning on one leg. I inclined to one side as I struggled to maintain balance. The beads on my costume reflected the light, beaming prismatic patterns on the walls and ceiling. I gasped for breath. I couldn't hold this pirouette for much longer! Then, Felicia leaped to my rescue. I was swept up by a cloud of cats as they spun with me, motions synchronized. Then, using but one paw, Felicia flung me to the leaping platform.

            I angled my body in such a way so that the light from my costume could dazzle and blind the audience, who had fallen silent in anticipation. Pammy and Felicia jumped atop my outstretched arms and dove off.  Then, I catapulted through the air... and watched in horror as I approached the end of the stage. Unable to break my fall, I zoomed, twisting and turning into the audience. Tears welled up in my eyes at my failure. I would never be an acrobat! The Flying Felinis had been aspiring to reach the championships ever since they were founded, and I had crushed their desire. Then, a sudden sensation overcame my fear and sorrow. Someone caught me, and was passing me around! They did not even realize that I had made a terrible mistake! Renewed hope filled my heart. I sprang into the air, and landed right on the high platform. 

          The music drew to a halt. "Intermission!", Felicia blared through her bullhorn. "We did it!" I clashed paws with everyone. "You were sensational!" We triumphantly exited to enjoy some scrumptious spider sausages. Felicia scrambled after me, coin purse in hand. "Rides! 2 cars for 2 available!" "Come on!" I darted towards the sign and deposited some money. The roller coaster lurched forward. It gained speed rapidly, zipping over hills. I shrieked as I was turned up-side-down for a brief moment. With one final plummet, the roller coaster lurched to a stop. "The show will start! Hurry!" Felicia urged me forward, not minding my state of dizziness. Once we arrived, the lights were out, and I could barely discern the shapes of the other cats, setting out the sheet.

           The lights flicked on. The audience gasped to see a giant, white sheet in the center of the stage. Then, two cats darted from the sides. I sprang upwards, letting the sheet catch an air current. I began spinning, sheet swirling and spiraling above me. Then, Felicia leaped up, and snatched the top of the sheet away, straight from my grasp. One by one, we all leaped over Felicia and the sheet, forming a moving arc of cats. My mind pounded in concentration. If I made one tiny mistake, the whole act would be ruined. Then, Felicia let go of the sheet, and I sprang on top. I appeared to float gracefully on the sheet as it touched down with only the faintest sound. 

         Finally, it was time for the penultimate act. The group dance. I posed at the center of the group, radiating blinding beams of light. The music started abruptly as we began leaping over each other. Thump. Bounce. Thump. My footsteps fell into the rhythm of the music. Now came my most favorite part of the dance. I whirled around and tapped the closest cat. Coincidentally, I had tapped Crackers. We began swatting at each other to the beat of the music. I parried. Crackers, in turn, parried. At the final 'Boom' of the song, the dance was over. Now it was time for my solo. Before, when I was in a group, my mistakes would be masked. Now it was as if I were under a microscope. Every tiny mistake would be magnified. "Pounce, you've practiced this many times." Felicia gave e a reassuring pat and my favorite catnip-salmon treat. I politely refused it, for my stomach churned like a bucket of sloshing water. I groped in the dark for the beam, paws jittering. 

Will Pounce make it through this last act? Find out in the next chapter!