The Circus Show

Today, i had a dream. Not a normal dream, because it was one i will remember in a long time. It has been a while that i have had dreams with meaning and purpose, since they mostly contain elements that involve me running away from something confrontational.

We were preparing for a concert. It was a big project, complete with acrobatic performances and wax figurines that looked so real you wouldn't believe it. Goku, the main highlight of the event, was busy warming up in the back room, throwing punches and high kicks. Today was the day he was going to demonstrate his strength to everyone. His raw power, accumulated through years by the effort of blood and sweat, was going to blow everyone away and make them realize just how far he'd gone as a human being. He'd finally gain the recognition he wanted so much.
Goku was the son of a wealthy lord, one of the sponsors for this event. He had travelled with this circus for almost 15 years, doing nothing but training his stamina and studying every martial art known to man. He wanted to break the record. He wanted to surpass the boundaries that limited each human being. And today, he'd finally done it. He'd achieved what no other human ever did before- attain strength that could break through a boulder with one punch.

The curtains were lifted, music played, bright lights danced across the shiny floors and the whole stadium was suddenly filled with shouting and singing. Laughter rang through the enormous hall as one of the clowns performed a ludicrous trick. Lions and tigers and monkeys were suddenly running loose. Birds flew freely overhead and deposited their droppings on the people below. The people screamed as the whole cavern was suddenly plunged into darkness. A soft hissing sound loomed from above and they looked up to see smoke pouring from a tiny hole. The hole widened and the room was lighted again, this time with different coloured lights flashing everywhere and taking the shape of several animals. The droppings turned out to be  hardened artificial chocolate. More lights illuminated the stage and a second set of curtains opened.

A single figure stood, his bulky exterior the only thing visible in the blazing light that soon died down. people craned their heads as they tried to catch a glimpse of the marvel that was soon to unfold. What was going to happen?
A large metal claw extended over the people's heads and lowered, dropping a huge mountain of rock on the stage, which trembled and shook violently. A hush fell over the crowd, as if they knew what was going to happen.
The figure approached the rock slowly, taking his time. Now that they could see him, they saw he was only a boy, about 17 or 18 years of adolescence. His age hardly mattered. What was important was the feat he was about to perform.

The boy drew his fist back, channeled his energy into his hand and clenched his teeth. His punch landed accurately in the rock's middle. A loud crack appeared from within, spreading to the sides quickly and growing like wrinkles on an old man's forehead. The audience gasped. The boy had not doubled back in pain like they had expected him to. Instead, he was standing proud and tall as the rock thrice his size slowly crumbled to pieces.
A cheer slowly raised and Goku smiled to himself. Soon that cheer would be turning to cries of worship. They just had to witness the final act. He waited, watching as the rock split and broke in the corners. Then it simply stopped.

The people waited. Goku waited. The sound of silence was overwhelming and threatened to crush him. Beads of sweat covered his forehead and dripped on his nose. Why hadn't the rock broken like it was supposed to? Why weren't the people cheering?

He knew. His power wasn't enough. He'd failed his dream. He hadn't done enough.

The audience drew in a second gasp. On the stage, a second boy appeared, raggedly dressed, noticeably smaller and thinner than the first. He drew in his basket and threw petals to the onlookers. The flowers swiveled and burst into confetti of different colours. The people were distracted momentarily and when they looked back, the boy had changed his costume. He was now smartly dressed in a black tux and matching pants, and held a cane in his right hand.
A strange song started to play. The audience was hooked, but were captivated when the boy started to jiggle his feet to the rhythm. His feet moved at an abnormal speed and made strange tapping sounds. He then took off his hat and took out six balls, which he juggled. He never dropped a single one, though he made a great show of almost falling off-balance. The audience cheered and whooped. And all the while they were focused on his juggling and dancing, the boy tapped the rock with his feet secretly, waiting for the perfect moment.
He did a final turn and caught all six balls in his hat and swept it firmly back on his head. He then lifted his hands and bowed gracefully, as his foot tapped the giant rock for the last time. Then, just like he planned, it crumbled to fist-sized pieces as he stood up. For a moment, the audience was stunned. Then they rose and cheered and clapped loudly to the dramatic end of a splendid show. It was excellent indeed! No one had been expecting that, no one at all!