Week 5 Story: The Circus is in Town

Author's Note: The story I've chosen to adapt for this week is the Georgian folktale of "The Strong Man and the Dwarf." To briefly summarize, a strong man shows up in a kingdom one day and challenges anyone who would accept to a wrestling match. No one does until a dwarf shows up, much to the strong man's amusement. The strong man refuses to wrestle him, but accepts his offer to test each other's strength in another manner. The two go back and forth with the dwarf using sleight of hand to mimic the strong man's feats. Impressed, the strong man offers friendship to the dwarf who continues to use his trickery to hide the fact that he is not really strong. 

First and foremost, I felt this story was insulting to short but strong people such as myself and desired to rewrite it such that the dwarf was actually just as strong as the strong man. Secondly, when I read the words "strong man" my brain can't help but make them the word "strongman." As such, I decided to shift the setting from medieval Georgia to a late 19th century circus. I'm not quite sure how, but from there the story ended up evolving into the opening speech of the strongman at one of his acts, so keep that in mind as you read. You can make the voice in your head sound any way you want it to, so I'd suggest something a bit antiquated and a bit showmanish in order to best enjoy this retelling. I hope y'all like it!

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Gather round, ladies and gentlemen, for a story you're sure not to forget! It starts on a dull summer's day, in the year of eighteen-eighty-something, in a dusty, old cattle town somewhere a bit further west than most people liked to venture back in that day.

Or was it a mining town? Places tend to blur when you move around so much.

Anyway, as I was saying, it was a dull, boring, no good day...that is until we, your humble traveling circus, showed up. As I'm sure you've seen, we have everything. Exotic animals, gymnasts, feats of daring all for your entertainment. But no, my dear fellows, you are not at the animal cages or the trapeze tarp. You are here because you came to this circus in particular to see our defining act, the strongest man in history! And so too, did the folk of that little town on that fateful day.

You may ask why I am telling you all this. Some of you are almost certainly preparing to demand that I "get on with the show!" But I cannot do that just yet because we are no longer possessed of the strongest man in history...we are possessed of two! And this is how it happened!

Yours truly, had just finished up his act. As is customary, I invited any man (or woman!) from the crowd who thought they could best me to step up and give it a go. As per usual, none succeeded. As I was preparing to pack it in, however, a teensy feller, no more than five feet with his hat on stepped up to bat. He was a stocky little lad, but even still, the difference in size between us was immense. Being a man of scruples, I declined to wrestle him, fearing I might cause him injury, but he was adamant. He said to me "good sir, if you will not wrestle me, at least let us compare our strength in some other manner." to which I agreed.

I stooped down and picked up a small stone about the size of my fist, promptly crushing it to powder in my grasp. My dwarven opponent found a similar rock, courteously allowed me to inspect it so that there would be no doubt of its authenticity, and then, much to my astonishment, duplicated my feat just as well, nay, better than I!

I would not be shown up so easily, however, calling for a volunteer, I found a young lady...about your size, madam, and taking her chair by one of its legs, hoisted her above my head. Like. So.

Certainly, I thought, that will show him! Again, I was astonished. Spying a volunteer about your size, sir, he not only lifted him sky high, but proceeded to balance on one foot whilst doing so just to show off!

Having more than proven his strength, he asked again to wrestle. I refused again, this time not out of fear for his wellbeing, but out of respect. "With two men like us," I said to him, "a match might last days before we see a victor! Let us not fight, but shake hands as friends!" I swear to you, ladies and gentlemen, my right hand still aches to this day!

But the pain of that handshake was more than worth it for we remain friends, and he is here with me today! Together, we will show you magnificent feats of strength you never even thought possible. So sit back, eat your popcorn, and enjoy the show!

1894 poster for the Sandow Trocadero Vaudevilles. Source: WikiMedia Commons

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Story Source: The Strong Man and the Dwarf from Georgian Folk Tales by Marjory Wardrop