KG Clown and Jingles

KG CLOWN AND JINGLES

          KG Clown opened the rear door of her blue panel van and placed the box of assorted prop items in the back.

          “KG CLOWN & JINGLES, BIRTHDAY PARTIES, CHARITIES AND
FUNDRAISERS” were written on the side of the van along with her phone number.

          KG closed the rear door of the van, walked around to the driver’s door, and climbed in.

          Starting the van, she pulled out onto the street and headed for the City Park.

          It was Saturday and today was Jenny Parkinson’s seventh birthday. Jenny’s parents, to entertain a group of Jenny’s friends, had hired KG.

          As KG drove up to the pavilion at the park, she could see about two dozen boys and girls running around playing “keep away” with a large blue ball.

          KG parked the van and climbed out.

          “KG’s here!” Several little girls shouted, excitedly, spotting the van. “Jenny! Your parents got KG and JINGLES! Oh, this is going to be the best party ever!”

          KG smiled to herself, as she reached in and took out the box of props. In the two years, that she had been doing the “clown parties” only in the past few months had she become a favorite of all the children in town, all due to Jingles.

          After placing the box of props on the ground in front of a group of chairs, KG went back to the van and opened the passenger door. Out bounded a small Jack Russell terrier dog wearing a red and white “doggy” clown costume that matched KG‘s own costume.

         “Ready to go to work?” KG asked the little dog, as he excitedly bounced around her legs.

          Jingles stopped, sat down and looked up at his owner, his whole body shaking as he tried to wag his stub of a tail.

          KG reached down and picked up the little dog and gave him a hug, laughing while she tried to keep Jingles from licking the makeup off her face.

         Five months before, she had found Jingles sitting on her doorstep, thin, dirty and with a large cut on his front leg. She had taken him to the vet, where the cut was sewn up, he was given a bath, and a tetanus shot.

          KG had spent the next couple of months checking with the local Animal Shelter and running ads in the paper looking for Jingles’ owners. No one seemed to know to whom he had belonged or where he had come from.

          Several people had offered to take the little dog, but KG had come to love him herself, so she finally bought his licenses and named him Jingles. Not wanting to leave him alone while she did her parties, KG began taking Jingles along. Once his leg had healed, Jingles made it known that he wanted to be part of the clown act. He surprised her one day by doing some back flips and jumping up and bumping a balloon in the air at one party all on his own. The children had been so delighted with his antics, that word spread about the little dog working with KG Clown. Soon KG’s phone was ringing constantly with parents wanting to book her for their children’s birthday party.

          “Okay, let’s go.” KG said as she put Jingles down and started walking toward where she had sat down the box of props.

          All the children had gathered there and were sitting, waiting excitedly for the show to begin.

          KG did the usual clown act, making balloon animals, doing a few easy magic tricks. Then she introduced Jingles. The children screamed and clapped excitedly.

          KG put Jingles through his usual routine of doing a few back flips, walking on his hind legs then his front legs, jumping through a hoop, and bumping the balloon up into the air.

          Then KG went to the box and pulled out a small package wrapped in white paper with a red bow. On a gift tag it read “Happy Birthday to Jenny from KG Clown and Jingles”.

          “Take it to Jenny, Jingles,” KG instructed, holding the package down for the little dog to take by a small loop of securely fastened ribbon.

          Jingles snatched the loop and trotted directly to Jenny.

          KG couldn’t figure out how the little dog knew exactly which child the gift was for, but he never made a mistake. He always went directly to the right child.

          KG watched as Jenny excitedly opened the gift. She always tried to make each gift different, so that the child didn’t know what they would be receiving.

          “Oh thank you!” Jenny gasped as she pulled out a clown picture frame with a picture of Jingles in it. “Oh this is the best ever!”

         The next fifteen minutes was spent with the children playing with Jingles, petting him and playing catch with a tennis ball that KG always brought along.

         Then KG picked up the box of props, said goodbye to everyone and, with Jingles at her heels, headed for the van.

          “Well, you ready for the next party?” KG asked the little dog as they pulled out of the park. “We only have two more to go today.”

         “Yip” said Jingles in reply, as he settled down on the seat next to KG, he was always ready.

<End>