Kidd Karnival: Lisa the Liar
Published by A. J. Spindle at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 A. J. Spindle
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Kidd Karnival is a place where people can see strange and fascinating things. The ringleader’s name is Millford Kidd. He’s a short rounded man with a big belly. He always wears a red coat with golden buttons down the front. He puts on a show everyday for an audience under a big red and orange tent.
One day, he got a new act for his show, but he saved it for last.
“Step right up!” Millford Kidd yelled. “Come and see the strongest man alive, Virgil Strongman!”
Virgil Strongman was a very short man. He had no hair on his head, but plenty on his chest. Virgil bent down and lifted a huge metal ball and held it above his head. His knees did not shake and his arms did not grow tired. He was a very strong man.
The crowd cheered for Virgil and he smiled because he was happy.
“Thank you for your cheers!” he said to the audience.
Millford Kidd walked away from Virgil and came to a stop next to a very small man. When he stood up tall, he only came to Millford Kidd’s hip.
“Now see the amazing Sebastian Little!” he yelled and the crowd clapped.
Sebastian took a bow, making him look even shorter.
“Watch what I can do!” he told the crowd of people. He took a running start and leaped into the air, did a spin, and landed.
“Ooh,” the crowd said, “ahhh!”
“That was amazing,” said a little girl in the front row, her hair pulled back in pink bows. “He’s very talented.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Sebastian said and took another bow.
Millford Kidd moved on to the next person. “Next we have Zeke, the fire breather!”
The person named Zeke was very scary. His black hair was long and curly. He wore a black shirt with silver buckles down the sleeves. He had scars on his hands and sweat on his face.
“Do not play with fire, kids! It’s very dangerous and you could get hurt very badly!” Zeke said. “Only Mommy’s and Daddy’s are allowed to use fire.”
He held up a long stick and lit the end with a flick of his fingers. He held the fire away from his face and then blew on it with great force. A huge burst of fire shot from the stick and lit the room. He looked just like a fire breathing dragon!
“WOW!” someone in the crowd said. “That was scary!”
Zeke put the fire out and took a bow. “Thank you!” he said.
“Finally, our last act is Lisa, the liar!” Millford Kidd said as he walked to a small girl wearing a yellow dress and sitting on a chair with her hands in her lap.
“A liar? I don’t like liars,” someone in the crowd said.
“I don’t like liars either. They don’t tell the truth,” said a little boy in the second row.
“My name’s not Lisa, it’s Jane, and I’m a ninja,” Lisa said. The crowd looked around.
“Is that a lie? I can’t tell,” a man said.
“I’m not a liar,” she said. “I really am a ninja and I was once a cat, when I was little,” Lisa said.
“You can’t be a cat, your a girl!” the crowd said.
“I mean I was a fish, not a cat. I used to live in the woods.”
“Fish don’t live in the woods! You’re lying. I don’t trust liars,” said a woman. She covered her son’s ears so he wouldn’t hear Lisa’s lies.
“I’m not lying, it’s the truth. I never lie,” Lisa said.
A man shouted at her and asked, “Then why is your name Lisa the Liar?”
Lisa said, “That’s not my name. My name is Jessica.”
“I thought you said it was Jane?” someone yelled.
A woman said, “I’m leaving. I don’t like liars because they don’t tell the truth.” She picked up her baby and walked out of the carnival tent.
“Wait, where are you going?” Lisa yelled, but the crowd started to leave.
“I’m sorry, Lisa. You have to go home now. Nobody likes a liar,” Millford Kidd said to her. She started to cry. Her tears fell on her yellow dress and she wiped her eyes with her hands.
“But I want people to like me,” she said.
Millford Kidd patted little Lisa on the top of her head and said, “Maybe you should tell the truth so people will like you.”
Lisa went home and practiced telling the truth all night. She picked up her cat and said, “Your name is Rupert and you are a gray cat.”
Rupert meowed and Lisa smiled. Then she picked up a pink teddy bear.
“You are a pink bear and that is not a lie,” she said. The pink bear did not say anything because it was a toy, but Lisa was proud of herself for telling the truth so she ran to her mother’s room and said, “Hey, Mom, I can tell the truth!”
“Really? Can you show me?” her mother said.
“Yes, I can. Watch,” Lisa said. She stood up straight and looked her mother in the eyes. “My name is Lisa and I am not a liar. I have never been a cat or a fish or a ninja. My name is not Jessica or Jane. I am Lisa, the truth teller.”
“I’m so proud of you, Lisa!” her mother said and hugged her tight.
The next day, Lisa waited for her turn at Kidd Karnival. Millford Kidd introduced her and she bowed.
The crowd said, “Boooo! We don’t like liars because they don’t tell the truth!”
“But I do tell the truth!” Lisa said, pointing to herself. “My name is Lisa and I am six years old. I am not a ninja, cat, or fish. I used to lie, but now I tell the truth.”
“Hey, that sounds like the truth, but how can I be sure? She likes to lie and I don’t like liars,” someone said.
“But I am telling the truth. I’m wearing a yellow dress, like the sun.”
“She is wearing a yellow dress. She’s telling the truth!” someone yelled. “I like truth tellers!” The crowd cheered for Lisa.
“They like me!” she said to Millford Kidd.
“They like people who tell the truth, Lisa,” he said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, thank you!” she said to the crowd. She took a bow and the crowd cheered louder.
From that day on, Lisa never lied again. Not even once. She always told the truth. She was Lisa, the truth teller.
About the Author:
A. J. Spindle is a middle grade and young adult writer. She found her passion for writing at the ripe age of seven. She used to write about aliens and talking dogs. Now she writes more exciting stories about love, fantasy, and the occasional non-human.
Connect with the author:
Ajspindle.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ajspindle