Lance strolled idly down the street, lost in his own thought as the merrymakers at the carnival flowed around him like different currents in a sea of humanity. Bright balloons strained at their tethers, children laughed, and parents scrambled to keep up with their hyperkinetic offspring. Lance, however, wasn't as happy as they were. His girlfriend had broken their date, leaving a short, brutal note for him. So it was clear now. It was over between them. He felt almost numb, trying not to feel the pain of having lost her. His eyes drifted across the faces around him. Happy faces, he noted with an inner wince.
Up ahead, he saw something that caught his eye, and made him curious. A girl dressed and painted as a mime was working the corner up ahead, a red beret upside down on the ground near the fire hydrant. There was a scattering of change in it, and a few crumpled bills as well. The girl definitely caught Lance's eye because she looked nothing like Rachel, his now ex-girlfriend. This girl had sunshine blonde hair, cut in a cute pageboy bob, whereas Rachel's hair had been raven-black, and almost long enough for her to sit on. Rachel's slight build was easily outshone by this girl's generous curves. Her hips swayed nicely as she walked and gestured, and her full breasts strained against the red suspenders that she wore. In spite of his own situation, Lance felt himself getting warm because of this sexy, mysterious, silent girl.
He approached and stopped near her, watching as she trailed after an invisible thread from someone's clothing. She wound her way through the crowd in a very convincing manner, following the thread to an older gentleman's sleeve. Pulling it tight, she mimed stretching the thread, and then playing the violin on it, to belly-deep laughter, before twisting the stray string around her finger and snapping it off. Dusting off her hands, she "sat" on an invisible chair, and picked up an imaginary sandwich from a table. Her first bite was taken with obvious relish, and she broke the sandwich in two, standing up and offering the other half to a few people out of the crowd. None of them played along and reached for it, but they did toss more change at her beret.
She turned towards Lance, holding her hand out, and her eyes shone with joy as he reached out, smiling, to take the sandwich. He pretended to bite into it, and she clapped with joy, then handed him an imaginary drink to wash it down. Playing along, he drank, and finished off his half of the sandwich. The crowd laughed harder, and more coins jangled their way into the red beret. Soon, the red and pink hues of sunset started to color the sky, and the mime girl walked over to the beret, picking it up as if it weighed a ton, and dragging it a few feet along the sidewalk. Looking up, she gestured to Lance to come to her, and he crouched down to help her with the heavy hat. As the two of them feigned a struggle off the corner, and to a nearby coffeeshop, the crowd applauded loudly, then began to disperse, seeking other amusements before the carnival closed for the night.
