The Entertainer

by Dustin R. Packwood

Once a year, the Entertainer rides into town, his colorful wagon led by a team of trained tigers, a contagious smile on his clean-shaven face. This year, he looks a little older, but only if you look close: there are a few more lines on his face, a few more strands of silver in his black mess of hair, a slight slump to his shoulders. But his performance is extraordinary, as always. He lit fireworks, showed us all the tricks his tigers knew, pulled glittering coins from the ears of all the children that eagerly crowded around him. For a finale, he produced dove after dove after dove from the folds of his worn robes, giving each bird a dramatic send off. Given how much we love him, I was very confused, later that night, to hear him crying when he thought that nobody was around.

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Dustin R. Packwood, author of The Dark Wizard, has spent all 24 years of his life wishing for a pet dragon. He continues to believe that the world would be a better place with wizards, magic, and kingdoms.