Aria Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Anticipation began to fill the air at the first faint beat of the drums. Groups of excited children ran through the streets while their parents and other adults emerged from houses and shops or hung out of open windows. As the drumming became louder, other instruments could be heard playing a lively tune. People began to line the street eager for a look at the approaching caravan. A few enterprising individuals moved through the crowd, selling drinks and snacks to the observers. Louder and louder the music grew until the first carriage could be seen in the distance. People started cheering. The procession kept moving and soon the street was full of brightly painted wagons and carriages trundling through town. The horses pulling them were adorned in blankets of vivid hues and pranced in time to the music, as did the two elephants with colorfully-dressed riders sitting on top of them. The wagons and carriages themselves promoted their acts in paintings and words … funambulists, knife throwers, contortionists, fortune telling, and much more. Some wagons featured cages containing exotic animals such as lions, tigers, crocodiles, zebras, ostriches, and bears. Performers tumbled, juggled, breathed fire, walked on stilts, and otherwise entertained the crowd. Two men walked around with long snakes around their necks. Monkeys scampered about, making everyone laugh. A magician pulled items seemingly out of thin air and handed them to lucky onlookers. Everywhere one looked, something amazing was going on and it seemed as if the world was suddenly full of wonder and magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 The Beverley's Everyone had known a carnival was going to arrive in Windsor, the fete was near as anticipated as the Christening. Mary had of course asked her Lord Husband if they might go to watch it arriving together. Schedules needed to be arranged of course, Mary happened to have a few points in her favour recently so that Her Majesty was happy to agree. Having dressed into an emerald green riding habit, Mary now sat atop her horse (it had a been a wedding present from her new family, a gelding from the Brooke stables) the raised position provided an excellent view of the Carnivals arrival - first it was the approaching music they heard, though quickly enough a pair of giant creatures were visible. Mary had never seen one of these lumberoous beasts in person, but knew what they were upon account of tapestries that often featured them. "Oh Beverly, the elephants might frighten the horses!" she moved her mount, it's hooves thudding upon the roadside turf, to be nearer to him. She appeared rather worried herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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