Clown globe…

I bought this water globe from a small shop down a winding street in a small, sleepy, town in East Devon. There were lots of globes in the dark, shadowy, shop - but something drew me to this one. Perhaps it was the tinkling music it plays when the key beneath the globe is carefully wound or perhaps it was something else entirely.

All clowns are hiding something - a tragedy, a broken heart, a terrible secret, sometimes even a murder or two. This is Beezo – the ultimate jester, harlequin, jackpudding – a king of comedy, a master of tragedy, combining the very essence of life -- and the flipside of that particular coin of silver.

Beezo has a past, a bad past – a past so bad that he never talks about it -- save to himself. He covers Snowy’s good ear as he mumbles, he doesn’t want Snowy to hear his story.

Beezo apologised to Snowy about his ear afterwards - it wasn’t Beezo’s fault, Snowy made him do it with his constant whispering. Snowy can be a very bad rabbit, very bad indeed - evil almost.

Beezo has stopped trying to take his make-up off. No matter what creams he uses, or how hard he scrubs his skin it never comes clean, the make-up remains. Beezo can’t even remember who’s under the colourful pan-stick, perhaps nobody, perhaps there never was.

Two shows a night making the children laugh or cry with water, his crazy-car, a ladder, a knife. Two shows a night, in the ring, outside the ring – making then laugh or cry. Send in the clowns.

Wind the key gently.

Don't you love farce? My fault I fear. I thought that you'd want what I want. Sorry, my dear. But where are the clowns? Quick, send in the clowns. Don't bother, they're here.